Winter is Ending
by GoldenLikeDaylight
Summary: Anna Snow, daughter of Jon Snow, is in her 6th year at Hogwarts. Due to Dumbledore's meddling, she and Professor Snape end up in a secret, romantic relationship.
1. The Professor and the Student

**Author Notes:**

This fanfic is based on a crazy dream I had after watching Game of Thrones before bed. Basically it's Hogwarts in the Game of Thrones world.

I am currently on season 6 of Game of Thrones (TV), but I already know a good deal of spoilers, which this story may have. I do not know all the details, so if this story does not make sense based on the show, that is why.

Anna Snow is 16 and Severus Snape is in his 20's-30's (he started teaching in the books at 21, and since there is no Harry Potter in this storyline, his age could be anywhere in between, I'll leave it up to the reader for now).

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Anna Snow timidly knocked on Headmaster Dumbledore's door.

"Come in," a kind old, familiar voice answered.

The door opened on its own as Anna expected it would and though the headmaster didn't sound upset, she still felt nervous entering the room. Dumbledore waved his hand and the door slowly closed on its own behind her.

"I presume you know why I have called you here?" Dumbledore asked rhetorically. He waved Anna to come over and sit in the empty sofa chair across from his mahogany desk, which was cluttered with various books and papers.

Anna panicked as she walked over to his desk, "I'm sorry. I should have left when told. I just wanted…"

"You're not in trouble my dear, not at all," Dumbledore interrupted her, "now please sit." He motioned to the maroon chair across from him.

Anna felt relieved and sat down, "So this isn't about…."

"Oh it is," confirmed Dumbledore. He held up a dainty white teacup with black trim and a floating white teapot bearing the Hogwarts crest floated over and poured some tea into the cup. "Tea?" He offered the teacup to Anna.

"Sure?" responded a very confused Anna. The teacup magically floated towards her and she grabbed the handle with her right index and middle finger. Meanwhile, Dumbledore had found another teacup for himself and had the floating teapot magically fill his cup.

"Do you remember what I told you about Professor Snape?" asked Dumbledore. He waved away the teapot.

"You said we had something in common," answered Anna, "which is pretty vague Headmaster." She took a sip of her tea.

"Yes, well, it is not my place to tell another's secret," said Dumbledore, "without their permission of course."

"Sir?" questioned Anna.

"When Professor Snape commanded you all to leave class early, why did you stay?" asked Dumbledore.

Anna looked down into her teacup. "I... I wanted to help."

"Why?" pressed Dumbledore.

"I just… I had a feeling…" Anna stammered. She wasn't sure how to explain it to the headmaster, but right before Professor Snape's outburst, Anna had heard an all too familiar sound, one that makes her heart race to this day, the sound of chains clinking.

However, Anna was able to bring her mind back to reality and realized it was just a student carelessly clanking his cauldron with a metal spoon. It was Professor Snape that had panicked, and in his fear, he lashed out at the class and told everyone to leave. Anna wasn't sure why, but in that moment she felt a strange connection with the professor and wanted to help. She remembered him trembling when she had touched his hand. It wasn't anger, but fear that had caused his outburst.

Dumbledore stood up and walked over to Anna. He gently rested a hand on her shoulder. He may not know Snape's story, but he knew Anna's well enough to believe that she could help the professor. "I want you to share what happened to you with Professor Snape," Dumbledore spoke and emphasized what he said next, "but only if you are okay doing so."

Anna looked up into Dumbledore's eyes in stunned silence. She had only ever shared her past with a handful of people and never went into all the details.

"Only if it's okay with you," Dumbledore emphasized again. He did not want to pressure the girl, but he felt that she could help Professor Snape and that it would be beneficial for both to have someone to talk to that understood the horrors they had faced.

Anna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew Dumbledore well enough to know that he wouldn't ask this of her if he didn't think there was some benefit to it.

Also, if Professor Snape had gone through a similar experience as her, it would explain his reaction in the classroom. It would also explain why Dumbledore wanted her to take interest in Professor Snape and why he was asking her to share her tragic history with him..

Even though Anna had seen many healers, she never felt anyone truly understood what she went through. It was hard to find anyone else who went through what she had. Professor Snape might be someone she could relate to. At least that is what the headmaster was strongly hinting at.

Anna breathed out. She had made her decision. "If you think it will help."

"You asked to see me, Headmaster," a deep, cold sounding voice came from the door. Professor Snape had entered the room without making a sound. Anna didn't even hear the door open and she was sure Professor Snape's timing wasn't just a coincidence.

"Ah, perfect timing Professor Snape," Dumbledore waved the professor over to him and winked at Anna, confirming her suspicions that the Headmaster had planned this all along. The door closed behind Snape as he walked toward the headmaster.

"You know Anna Snow of course," Dumbledore motioned to Anna. Anna placed her teacup on the headmaster's desk and stood up to be polite. She was a student after all.

"Yes," Snape answered coolly, "The girl who doesn't listen."

Anna started to regret her decision when she saw Professor Snape's scowl, "Headmaster, maybe this isn't such a good idea…"

"Nonsense," Dumbledore waved his wand to magically move a stack of books in the corner of the office, revealing another maroon chair, which he then magically flew over to them. Another wave of his wand and the two chairs turned to face each other, "Now Professor, I would like for you and Miss Snow to talk."

"Excuse me Sir?" asked a confused Snape.

"The two of you have a lot more in common than you think and I would like for you to listen to Miss Snow," Dumbledore motioned for Snape to sit in the new chair he had floated over.

Snape was flabbergasted, "She's just a child,"

"Yes, well age doesn't matter when it comes to the past does it?" Dumbledore countered.

Snape opened his mouth to speak, but was unsure as to what to say next.

Anna, who had kept quiet during Professor Snape and Headmaster Dumbledore's argument, took advantage of the silence to speak, "Professor, I am truly sorry for not leaving when you asked, but I know, I'm almost certain, you heard it too."

Professor Snape's scowl was replaced with stunned silence.

Anna, feeling brave, continued, "It was just a student carelessly messing with his cauldron, but it made a clanking sound. For anyone else, this sound doesn't mean much, but for me and I think for you too," Anna rolled up her sleeves to reveal two red rings around her wrist, permanent scars from her time as a captive, "it still makes our hearts race, our hands tremble."

The room was silent as Anna spoke; you could hear a pin drop. Anna rolled her sleeves back down, hiding the scars that constantly remind her of the nightmare she had lived through.

"I will leave you two to talk," said Dumbledore. He rested a hand on Snape's shoulder and lowered his voice so it was only audible to the professor, "She's sixteen, no longer a child. It would do you some good to open up to someone." Dumbledore then looked at Anna and spoke in a normal voice, "Take as long as you need."

Anna Snow and Professor Snape stood in awkward silence until they heard the door close behind the headmaster.

Anna took a deep breath and broke the silence, "Professor, I know the headmaster thinks this would help you, but if you aren't comfortable, I understand and I won't force you."

"No, it's alright," said Professor Snape, "but maybe we should sit down." Anna nodded and sat down in the chair she was sitting in before, though now it was turned to face Professor Snape. Snape took a seat across from her.

The teapot with the Hogwarts crest floated over. Snape procured a teacup with his wand and the teapot poured him some tea. The teapot floated over to Anna.

"No thanks," Anna said to the teapot and it floated over to Dumbledore's desk, landing next to Anna's empty teacup.

"Your wrists," Snape spoke in a much gentler tone that Anna had ever heard from the professor. He was known to be strict, cold, but now he sounded warm, almost kind. "What happened? You don't have to go into the details..."

"I was taken captive," Anna kept it simple for now. She hardly knew the professor and she also wasn't sure what may trigger him.

"How old were you?" asked Snape.

"Nine," answered Anna.

"How long?"

"It felt like an eternity, but it was four years."

The room fell silent. Anna watched as the professor fiddled with his fingers. He obviously wanted to know more. Maybe Dumbledore was right, maybe talking about it would help the professor. He may have been freed from his physical chains, but his mind was still trying to break free.

"Professor," Anna spoke to get his attention, "You can ask me anything. I don't mind. I've already talked to multiple healers. This isn't the first time I've shared what happened to me." She hadn't meant to ramble on like that and it was then she realized how much she really did want to speak with someone, someone who could understand the trauma she endured.

"How do you do it?" inquired Snape.

"I'm sorry. Do what professor?" asked a confused Anna.

"You said you heard the same sound, the chains, but you sat there just like all the other students, and I," The professor stopped talking. They both already knew what happened next. He wasn't proud of it.

Anna rested her hands on the Professor's, "My heart still pounds, my hands still tremble. Even after years of help and support, I'm not better. I may never be, but the first step… the first step to get to where I am is to talk about it."

Snape looked her in the eyes. This was the second time their eyes had met, but this time there was no anger in those dark eyes. She didn't feel like she was burning under his gaze. No, it was a different sensation this time. She could feel her heart fluttering.

"If it helps, I can tell you what happened to me, maybe without all the details for now," Anna offered, placing her hands on her lap before she got too lost in his eyes.

Snape nodded his headed, a silent approval for Anna to go ahead.

Anna breathed in and breathed out slowly to help herself relax before telling her story, "We were attacked. My father was a great fighter, but there were just too many. I was pulled from my mother's arms.

I could have been raped and killed, like so many other women and children, and that would have been the end, but instead, being who I was, the daughter of Jon Snow, I was taken as a prisoner.

I was kept in chains in a cold, dark room where I was tortured."

Anna stopped to take a deep breath. Talking about it still made her heart race and she could feel herself shaking. She breathed out and focused on her feet. She could feel them on the floor. She was no longer a prisoner. The man who had taken her could no longer hurt her. She was safe here.

"How did you escape?" Professor Snape asked, eager to hear more.

"I didn't really," Anna answered, "There was another war.

It was the first time I saw the outside in years; the light was blinding. I was forced to wear a cloak as being a girl made me an easy target for men, which had the added bonus of blocking out the sun.

We ended up being spotted anyway, and a fight broke out. In doing so my captor had let go of the chains that had kept me bound to him. I didn't have time to think. I just ran.

I had no idea where I was. I was malnourished, weak, so I didn't get far before I became exhausted. I was far enough away I couldn't hear the fighting, but I kept walking. I was too scared to stop moving, that I walked all through the night and it wasn't until morning I came across a stream that I finally decided to stop for a drink.

I was tired and hungry, but with my hands being chained, finding food would be difficult. I also knew I had to keep moving. My only hope was to find another city. So I walked on for another day until I found a road. I knew it was dangerous to walk on the road, so I kept in the forest, with the road just in view.

When I arrived at the city at the end of the road, I panicked. Who do you trust after you have been a prisoner for so long? Who were your allies? Who were your enemies? I had no idea how long I had been gone from the world. I didn't know who was in power. I didn't even know if my parents were still alive. So I hid in the forest and just watched. I would sneak into the city at night though to look for food.

One night I got caught. I was terrified and when he asked for me to show him my hands, I did so right away. It was the first time I ever saw magic. One flick on his wand and the chains around my wrists fell to the ground. That was the first time I met Headmaster Dumbledore."

Anna ended her story there. She had clenched her hands at some point during her recount of the past. She slowly uncurled her fingers, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath in and slowly breathed out. "_You are safe here_," she thought to herself as she felt her body relax.

"Are you alright, Miss Snow?" Professor Snape asked. He didn't believe anyone could have gone through what he had, until now, and he was worried that he might have pried too much.

"I will be," Anna spoke honestly, "it's never easy to remember the past, but telling it is freeing in a way. I always feel sort of relieved afterward." She smiled kindly at the professor.

"I…I was seven" Professor Snape started, but his body began to tremble as soon as he started speaking.

"It's alright," Anna interrupted him and tenderly rested her hands on the professor's hands, "You don't have to tell me or anyone until you are ready."

"It's only fair," Professor Snape countered.

"That's not how healing works," Anna argued, "I told you what happened to me because I have come to terms with it. I don't want you to tell me what happened to you until you want to tell me..."

"I want to tell you," Snape interjected, removing his hands from hers. Anna was taken aback by his harsh reaction.

"Sorry, I didn't mean…" he quickly apologized when he saw the pained expression on Anna's face. "I want to tell you."

"When you're ready," said Anna, "I will be here to listen." She understood the professor's desires all too well as she once felt the same.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Professor Dumbledore had returned, "I know I said to take as long as you like, but it's getting late and it's time for Miss Snow to head back to the dormitory."

"Yes headmaster," Anna stood. She hadn't realized how late it had gotten. She looked back at the professor, who had also stood, but it felt awkward to talk to him with Dumbledore in the room, "umm... Goodnight professor."

"Goodnight Miss Snow," Snape responded.

Dumbledore held the door open for Anna to go out. He rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "There will be plenty of time for you two to talk."

"Thank you, headmaster," Anna smiled, "Good night."

"Good night," Dumbledore responded before gently nudging Anna on her way. He then closed the door and turned his attention to Snape, "How did it go?" He walked over to his desk.

"Fine," said Snape.

"Fine?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at Snape, but didn't feel it would do any good to press the matter. He sat down at his desk. "I see. Would you like to talk to Miss Snow again?"

Snape hesitated. He wanted to talk to Miss Snow. For one he felt he owed her his story because she had shared hers, and the other reason was that he felt she was the only one he could talk to, but he also was afraid of getting too close to a student.

"Do you think that is wise?" Snape questioned Dumbledore's motives, "Students and teachers aren't supposed to have outside relationships."

"Rules are just guidelines Severus," countered Dumbledore, "and there are exceptions to every rule." Dumbledore paused to see how Snape would respond, but the professor remained silent. He seemed lost in his thoughts, but Dumbledore had a hunch and he decided to see if he could confirm it, "Are you are fond of Miss Snow?"

"No!" exclaimed Snape in a bit too defensive of a tone.

"It's alright…" Dumbledore responded, "We'll worry about it should it come to that, but back to my first question, would you like to talk to her again?"

"Headmaster, I assure you there is nothing going on between me and Miss Snow," contested Snape.

"Would you like to see her again?" Dumbledore asked again, ignoring Snape's denial.

Snape was peeved, but he answered Dumbledore anyway, "Yes."

"Good," Dumbledore smiled, "She has a free period after your class. You can use that time to talk in your office or wherever you feel comfortable. The weather is quite nice this time of year…"

"This is a set up isn't it," Snape scowled.

"Yes," Dumbledore didn't feel any need to lie, "You may have not told me everything Severus, but I know enough about your past that when I met Miss Snow… well it wasn't hard to put the two together. Other members of the staff felt the same. It was just a matter of timing…."

"Why now?" asked Snape.

"Because of the incident in your classroom," Dumbledore stood, "Miss Snow reached out to you." Dumbledore's eyes locked onto Snape's, "You two need each other."

"She's a student," Snape weakly argued.

"But she won't always be," Dumbledore rebutted, "I can't force you, Severus, so the decision is ultimately up to you." He waved his hand at the door and it opened, signaling their conversation had come to an end, "Goodnight Severus."

"Goodnight Headmaster," Snape sighed before leaving the Headmaster's office. He was still angry at Dumbledore for meddling in his life, but he didn't have anything else to say and it was late.


	2. Under the Willow Tree

**Chapter 2**

Anna didn't know why her heartbeat quickened as she neared the potions classroom. She thought her conversation with Professor Snape had gone well last night, but for some reason, her heart wouldn't stop pounding.

"The professor will dock points if you're late," Briar cautioned, startling Anna. She hadn't realized she had stopped moving and was just standing in front of the door entrance of the potions classroom.

"Nervous?" asked a boy with shaggy brown hair and bright green eyes as he opened the door for them.

Anna took a deep breath, "We should take our seats." She purposely avoided her best friend, Briar Falcin's, question as she knew it would only lead to more questions.

"I would be too if I had done what you did yesterday," Briar commented as they walked to their seats. "Why did you…" Briar was cut off by Professor Snape entering the classroom.

Anna and Briar sat down, as did the rest of the class. Everyone always fell silent whenever the professor entered the room.

Anna looked at Professor Snape. She hadn't seen him since last night and she was curious as to when they would talk again, or maybe he didn't want to see her again. The thought made her mouth go dry. Just then his eyes met hers and she quickly looked away.

Why was she so anxious? Anna closed her eyes and tried taking some deep breaths, but her heart just wouldn't stop fluttering. It made focusing on today's lesson a lot harder. There was so much she wanted to know: What happened to him? How did he end up at Hogwarts? But mainly she worried if he would even want to see her again, which made her heart ache more than she anticipated.

"Are you okay?" Briar asked after Anna had poured another wrong ingredient into their cauldron, causing it to almost bubble over. Anna was usually, well, perfect, and so for her to make a mistake, and this many, just seemed off. He used a spell to dry his robes.

"I… I'm fine," Anna stuttered while Briar used the same hot-air charm to dry Anna's robes.

"You don't seem fine," Briar grumbled as he looked in their potions book to see if there was a way he could save their assignment. Usually, it was Anna who fixed the mistakes, but he wasn't sure she was up to the task today.

"Sorry," Anna apologized, "I guess I'm not feeling too well..."

"I think we're going to have to start over," Briar sighed as he looked at the clock hanging on the wall behind Professor's Snape desk, "and there's not enough time."

"I have a free period after this, I'll stay and redo it," Anna offered, "It's my fault."

"If you're not feeling well, you should rest," Briar argued, "or maybe get some Pepperup potion from one of the other students." As annoyed as he was, he did care for Anna. He also found it ironic that they were supposed to be making a potion to help with colds when Anna wasn't feeling well. Too bad theirs didn't turn out right or she could have used some.

"I'm not that sick…" Anna tried to explain, but just then Professor Snape had come over to check on them.

"What happened here?" asked Professor Snape as he looked into Anna and Briar's cauldron to find a purple liquid when the potion should have been the color of red wine.

He had been watching the two from a distance and knew they were struggling. He had a feeling it may have something to do with his conversation with Anna last night. She was the top student in his class, in any class for that matter, so for her to be struggling with a simple Pepperup potion seemed off.

"It's my fault," Anna answered.

"Pro-"

"I'll see you after class in my office," Snape directed specifically to Anna in his teacher voice before Briar could say anymore.

"Yes sir," Anna felt her heart sink.

Professor Snape walked to the front of the room and announced, "Class Dismissed." He then left the room and walked across the hall to his office.

"It's not fair, I'm your partner, I should stay too," Briar complained as he helped Anna clean up their work area.

"But it was my fault," said Anna as she did a vanishing spell to make the purple liquid in their cauldron disappear, "And you have another class after this."

"If you're not feeling well…"Briar tried to counter.

"I'll be fine, Briar," Anna stopped him before he could finish talking. She still wanted to talk to Professor Snape about last night, so she would rather be alone with him, even if he was upset.

Briar sighed, "Good luck then." He grabbed his black book bag with the Hogwarts crest and left along with the other students. As much as he liked Anna, she could be stubborn and he found it best to let her be.

Anna shoved her potions book into her gray book bag before following the rest of the students out into the hall. Most were leaving the dungeons to go to their next class, but instead, she had to go across the hall to Professor Snape's office.

The office was usually magically sealed, but the door had been left open, probably because Snape was waiting for Anna. Anna took a deep breath as she arrived outside his office.

"Come in," Snape said as he saw Anna standing at the entrance to his office. He was sitting at his desk and looking at some students' papers from an earlier class.

"I-I'm sorry," Anna's voice trembled as she entered, "I can do the potion again." She was so anxious and her calming techniques weren't working. She felt tears well up in her eyes. Crying was the last thing she wanted to do right now and she did her best to suppress the tears.

"I'm not mad at you," Snape hadn't meant to scare her before. He had a reputation to uphold and didn't want to let his guard down around the other students. He waved his wand at the door and it closed.

"Y-You're not?" Anna stuttered.

"No, not at all," reassured Snape as he left his desk and walked over to Anna, "You're the best student in the class. It's not like you to mess up. I'm worried this has to do with last night…"

Anna couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She began to sob, "I'm sorry, I don't know why…"She had been so worried he hadn't wanted to see her, and here he was worried about her. She felt so relieved.

Without thinking, Snape pulled her close to him. It was the first time he had ever hugged someone in a long time. He was in shock with himself for being so intimate with a student and even more surprised at how good it felt to hold another person.

"I'm sorry I scared you," Snape apologized.

"No, it's my fault," Anna wiped away her tears, "I let my mind get the better of me. I kept thinking you might not want to talk to me again."

Snape removed himself from her. She wasn't entirely wrong. He had considered not seeing her again. She was a student and he was a teacher. He wasn't supposed to get involved with students. However, he felt he still owed her his story, so here they were.

"Why don't we get some fresh air," Snape offered, taking Dumbledore's advice about the weather. He also didn't think his office was the most comfortable place to talk about their troubled pasts.

Anna nodded and followed the professor out of his office. The dungeon was empty now, but to get to the outside they would have to walk out through the great hall.

"Professor," Anna spoke as they walked toward the main staircase, "Maybe it would be best if we went separately?" She stopped, letting the professor lead the way.

"No need for that," Snape replied, "We won't be using the main entrance." He stopped at the foot of the staircase. Anna, curious, followed after him. She didn't know of any other exits near the dungeon.

"Dissendium," Snape waved his wand at the wall and a secret door appeared. He opened the door and gestured for Anna to go ahead. Anna had never been in a secret passageway before, though she knew the castle was full of them. Once through he closed the door and the passageway was sealed once more.

"Lumos," Anna cast a light spell so she could see as the passageway lacked any lighting.

The staircase was narrow and steep. But after what Anna had gone through, not much scared her anymore. She eagerly climbed the steps to the top. Where would it go? Would it take them off the school's grounds? Anna couldn't wait to reach the top.

"Lumos," Snape lit his wand as well and followed behind her.

At the top of the steps, there was another door, Anna looked back at the professor and he nodded, giving her the go head to open it.

She pushed open the door and they were outside. Snape followed after her, closing the door behind him. Anna looked back just in time to see the door disappear and be replaced by a stone wall. The secret passageway was hidden once again.

Anna turned back around to see what was in front of her. She could see the Great Lake, so they had come out on the south side of the castle. She also saw students scattered on the grounds, probably on their free period as well. It wasn't necessarily private or as exciting as she had thought it would be.

"This way," Snape motioned for her to follow him.

Anna, a little disappointed, followed after Professor Snape. They walked closer to the lake. It was more secluded by the lake due to all the trees, so luckily they didn't come across any students. Snape stopped when they arrived at a weeping willow that had so many branches you couldn't even see its trunk. He used his wand to cast a spell to part the willow branches, revealing a stone bench hidden underneath. The magic would stay put until he used a releasing spell. He let Anna enter first.

"Do you come here often?" Anna asked wondering how the professor knew about the bench as she wouldn't have known it was there had he not shown her. She sat down on the cool stone and set her school bag to the side of the bench. Though it wasn't as exciting as she had pictured, it was still magical and definitely secluded.

"I wouldn't say often," Snape answered as he sat down next to her, "but sometimes." They sat in silence for a moment before he spoke again, "I believe I owe you my story…"

"Only if you want to, no pressure," Anna interrupted, as much as she was curious about the professor's past and how it might have been similar to hers, she didn't want to push him to talk before he was ready.

Snape sighed, he knew she was trying to be nice, but she was starting to annoy him. He rested his hands on his lap and looked out at the Great Lake, "I was seven when our village was attacked by Death Eaters," His hands formed into fists and he began to tremble again.

Anna rested a reassuring hand on his fist. She didn't have to say anything; her touch was enough to calm him. Professor Snape closed his eyes for a moment before continuing, "My father, being a muggle and coward, had run, leaving me and my mother to fend for ourselves. My mother was killed and I… I was certain I would be next, but instead, the death eater that took me had something much worse in mind…"

Snape's hands had clenched again. He had never told anyone what exactly happened to him, just talking about it made it feel like he was there again.

"You're safe now professor," Anna reminded the professor, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

Snape uncurled his fingers, "Yes, thank you."

"How long were you held captive?" Anna asked figuring it was best to skip ahead. She didn't like talking about the details of her time as a captive either.

"Six years," Snape answered.

"How did you escape?"

"I was freed by Aurors from the Ministry of Magic."

They sat in silence for a moment after that, just watching the lake could be so calming. When Snape didn't seem like he was going to offer more details, Anna decided to try prying a little more, "Do you know what happened to your father?"

"Most likely dead," answered Snape coolly, "he wasn't much of a father, to begin with."

"I'm sorry," Anna's voice softened. She at least had parents who had loved her very much. She couldn't imagine going from a broken household to being tortured. It was the hope of seeing her family again that kept her going.

"The one thing that prevented me from giving up was the hope that my parents might be alive," Anna spoke, switching the focus onto her. She figured if she shared more, Professor Snape would be able to share more too. "I didn't see them die when I was taken. It was only after I had been rescued by Headmaster Dumbledore that I found out my mother had been killed and my father later died trying to find me," Anna could never talk about her parents without shedding a few tears. She used her robe sleeves to wipe her eyes.

Snape pulled a handkerchief from the pockets of his robes and offered it to her, "you miss them?"

Anna accepted the handkerchief and nodded as she dabbed her eyes, "I'm sorry."

"You apologize too much," Snape hadn't meant to sound annoyed, but he did mean what he said. When he saw Anna's teary brown eyes looked at him, his voice automatically became softer, "You are allowed to miss your family. Just because I didn't have a strong attachment to mine, isn't your fault." He gently caressed her face with his hand.

Professor Snape's gaze had caused her heart to flutter, but it was his touch that caused her heart to race, "Professor…"Just then the bell tolled. It was time for lunch.

"I guess we have to eat," The professor withdrew himself, dissipating the spark between them. He stood.

"Y-yes,' Anna stuttered as she returned to reality. She grabbed her schoolbag before standing. The professor was waiting for her to exit the willow tree first.

"W-Will I see you again?" Anna asked nervously as she approached him.

"Same time tomorrow," Professor Snape reassured and gently nudged her through the part in the willow tree. He still had more to tell her and there was still more he wanted to know about her. He realized now that keeping their relationship as strictly teacher and student was going to prove challenging.

The way Anna's face lit up when he answered her confirmed Professor's Snape's fears. Her bright eyes and kind smile set his heart on fire. He had never felt such strong emotions for anyone before, and it was proving more and more difficult to ignore them.

"I'll try not to mess up the potion tomorrow," Anna told Snape before giving him a little wave and heading back to the castle.

Snape watched as she walked away. He rested his hand on his heart, but even he couldn't stop his heart from fluttering. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to clear his head, before removing the spell on the willow tree and heading to the castle. He would just have to try harder to be less intimate with her next time.

When Anna arrived at the Great Hall for lunch, Briar was already sitting in his usual spot and waiting for her. He waved at her when he saw her. She returned his wave and felt herself begin to panic. What was she going to say to him? She hated the idea of lying, but she couldn't tell him the truth. She took a deep breath and walked over. If she took too long to sit down, he would only have more questions for her.

"How'd it go?" Briar asked as Anna took her usual seat across from him.

"How'd what go?" A girl with short black hair, blue eyes, and a face full of freckles interrupted them. She took a seat next to Briar. Anna wasn't a huge fan of Ursa Hawthorne as she was nosier than Briar. Luckily she didn't have to share a dorm room with her.

"Anna had to stay after Potions class," Briar informed her.

"Yikes, what did you do?" Ursa asked.

"Messed up a potion," Anna mumbled as she began to fill her plate with food. They only had an hour for lunch and since she spent her free period talking to Professor Snape, she was hoping to still have some time to do homework.

"Wow, that's so not like you," a boy with fiery red hair and hazel eyes sat down next to Anna. Finley Parne was annoying, but at least not nosy, so Anna was able to tolerate him a little more than Ursa.

"I wasn't feeling well," Anna sighed before she took a bite out of her chicken and ham sandwich.

Everyone knew she was one of the smartest students in the school despite her late start. She had worked hard to get to where she was. With that status, however, came the pressure to be perfect, so any time she made a mistake it was easily noticed.

"How are you feeling now?" Briar asked.

"Fine," Anna said indifferently. The truth was this was the best she had felt in a while, but she knew coming off happy after seeing the most hated professor in the school would definitely create a lot of questions she wasn't prepared to answer.

"Even after being lectured by Snape?" Finley quipped.

Anna took her time to chew another bite of her sandwich. She had never been more grateful for having a mouth full of food. The chewing gave her time to think about her response.

"It wasn't that bad," Anna finally answered after she swallowed.

"Really?" Briar pressed.

Anna opened her mouth to respond, but Ursa butt in, "She's his star student and head of our house. He probably is just going to have her do it again, right?"

Anna, too stunned to speak, just nodded. As much as Anna disliked Ursa, Ursa had just saved her the trouble of figuring out what to say next and did the lying for her. This was the first time Anna ever felt grateful for Ursa.

"If you want help…." Briar was about to offer.

"No, it's okay," Anna interrupted him, "It's not a hard a potion. I was just not feeling myself. I'm fine now though." She quickly added that last part to easy Briar's worry.

"You sure?" asked Briar.

"Yes, but as I spent my free period being lectured, I wanted to try and get some homework done," Anna said as she grabbed her bag and stood up. She still had forty-five minutes before her Charms class, "I'll see you guys at dinner."

Ursa and Finley waved, but Briar stood up and walked over to her. "You sure you're okay?" He spoke in a voice only audible to her, "I have never seen you mess up that bad before."

Anna sighed. She hated lying and keeping secrets, especially since Briar was not only her first friend at Hogwarts but also her best friend. "I'm fine now," she assured him, but knew that wouldn't satisfy him, so added, "I just… sometimes my mind slips…"

Her history wasn't a secret. Almost everyone in the school knew who she was and had vague ideas as to what happened to her. As close as she was to Briar, she never told him more than what he had heard. It was then she realized that besides healers and Headmaster Dumbledore, the only other person she had talked to about her past was Professor Snape.

"If you ever want to talk…" Briar spoke

Anna nodded, "thank you." She gave Briar a hug before heading off to the library. Briar sighed as he watched Anna walk away.

"You waited too long man," Finley commented when Briar returned to the table. Everyone, but Briar, could tell that Briar was in love with Anna.

"It's not like that," Briar weakly argued as he sat down to finish his lunch.

"Mmmhmmm," Ursa piped in, "You just keep saying that." She then took a sip of her pumpkin juice.

"We're just friends."

"And that's all you're going to be with that attitude," stated Finley before taking a bite out of his chicken and ham sandwich.

Briar ignored them and continued eating. The truth was, he did like Anna, but if everyone else could see it, and Anna couldn't, then it wasn't worth jeopardizing their friendship. She didn't see him that way, at least not yet, and Briar wasn't going to tell her how he felt unless he had a feeling she felt the same about him.


	3. Is This Love?

**Chapter 3**

The next day, Anna eagerly entered the potions class. She couldn't wait to see the professor.

"You seem to be better today?" Briar noticed Anna seemed a lot more cheerful today.

"Yes, much better," Anna responded.

"That's good. I'd hate to repeat yesterday," said Briar as he pulled out his potions book. Anna frowned and did the same.

The room fell silent, and both looked up from their desks to see Professor Snape make his way to the front of the classroom. Anna felt her heart race, but it was not nerves this time.

Today they were given the task of creating Drought of Peace, which ironically, Anna could have used in yesterday's class as it was used to help relieve anxiety. It was a more complicated potion though, so it was probably better that Snape had assigned it to them today when she was feeling rather peppy.

"I'm so glad you're back to normal," Briar commented as their cauldron let off a silvery vapor. They were the only students in the class to have successfully completed the potion.

"One day you'll have to do this on your own…" warned Anna, but stopped when she noticed Professor Snape had walked over. He had a slight smile and her heart began to race.

"10 points to Slytherin," Professor Snape announced as he scooped a little of their potion into a glass vile. "I'll leave you to bottle the rest," He told them before dismissing the rest of the class.

Anna and Briar poured what was left of their Drought of Peace into a couple of empty vials.

"One for each of us," Briar remarked as he handed Anna a vial "This will come in handy for the O.W.L.s."

"You still have to study," Anna responded as she put her vial in her schoolbag.

Briar rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah… I'll see you at lunch." He waved at her before leaving the classroom. Anna gave him a wave before she put her potions book in her bag. She waited till she was the last student to leave the classroom and made her way across the hall to Professor Snape's office.

The door was left open again; Anna poked her head in, "Professor?"

Professor Snape stood when he saw Anna and walked towards her. "All clear?" he asked.

Anna looked down the hallway both ways and nodded. Professor Snape closed his office door, "You did an excellent job in class today."

"Thank you," Anna blushed. She had always done well, but Professor Snape usually showed his praise with house points, not with compliments.

Professor Snape smiled a true smile, a very rare thing, causing Anna's heart to flutter. He motioned for her to follow him. Anna walked behind him; she guessed they were going to the same spot as yesterday. Sure enough, Snape revealed the same secret passageway and he let her enter first again.

"Lumos," Anna used her wand to light the way and when she reached the top, opened the door to the outside. She walked out and looked around. It looked the same as yesterday; students were scattered across the grounds. There was a gentle breeze, but otherwise, the weather was still quite lovely. Spring was her favorite season so far.

Snape closed the passageway and joined her. Together they walked to the willow tree, and like yesterday, Snape magically parted the willow tree's long and thick branches with his wand.

"What do you want to talk about today?" Anna asked as she set her schoolbag on the ground.

"I…" Professor Snape began as he sat down next to Anna, but he actually wasn't sure. He told her the gist of his past, and wasn't sure he was ready to talk about the details, nor did he think they were necessary as she probably had a good idea as to what had happened to him.

Anna sensed his hesitation and though it would be a good idea to take a break from the past. She figured it would also be easier to talk about the details if they knew each other a little more. She decided to try a more basic question, "Why did you start teaching?"

Snape was a little thrown off by the question but seeing Anna's eager eyes, he answered, "Dumbledore offered me the position a few years after Hogwarts. It's the only place I really felt at home. I didn't really have anywhere else to go…"

"No family? Siblings?" asked Anna. She knew his parents had passed, but he still could have had other family members.

Snape shook his head and turned to look at the lake. He was an only child. "There was a girl though, Lily, Lily Evans," Snape's face seemed to brighten when he said her name. Anna hadn't seen the professor look so happy before, yet instead of making her happy, it somewhat pained her and she wasn't quite sure why.

"What happened to her?" inquired Anna, shoving her feelings aside. There would be time to process them later.

"When the death eaters came…" Snape began and closed his eyes, "she's gone."

"I'm sorry," Anna spoke softly as she watched the sunlight dance across the lake. "Did you love her?" She asked even though she was sure she already knew the answer.

"We were just kids," Snape replied. His focus was on the lake as well, "but yes."

Anna felt her chest tighten. She should be happy that the professor once had someone he cared about, that cared about him, yet she felt as if her heart was being stabbed. Anna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Now was not the time to try and understand her feelings. She only had an hour to talk to the professor and she did not want to waste it.

"What about you?" Snape asked, breaking the silence.

"I have never been in love…" a startled Anna answered.

The professor couldn't help but chuckle, and clarified, "I meant siblings."

"Oh…" Anna was embarrassed. She had gotten too lost in her thoughts and didn't think his question through before answering. She also had never heard the professor laugh before and the fact that it was at her made her feel really small.

"Sorry I should have been clearer," Snape apologized, resting his hand on hers. He hadn't meant to embarrass her.

His touch made Anna's heart race, but not out of fear, no, she felt happy. "It's okay," Anna replied, "as for siblings…" her voice saddened, "my mother was pregnant, but… no." Anna could have had a little brother or sister, but the chance to be an older sister past when she was taken and her mother was killed.

"But I do have family," Anna quickly added, "which you probably already know…"

"Ah yes, the Queen of the North and the King of the Six Kingdoms," Professor Snape confirmed, resting his hands on his lap, "there isn't anyone who doesn't know your family."

"But I was born to an outsider," Anna added as she didn't like being seen as royalty, "My father was exiled for his…. Actions…"

"Who do you live with now?" Snape asked.

"My aunt, Queen Sansa," Anna answered, "But Uncle… King Bran has also offered me a place in the kingdom after I graduate…" Anna had been so busy learning magic the past few years, she hadn't thought much about what she would do after Hogwarts.

She loved both her aunt and uncle. They were both good people. This was another dilemma she had to face, but for now, she wanted to enjoy her time at Hogwarts and had put the matter aside. She still had a couple more years of school before she had to decide.

"It must be nice," Snape remarked, "to have people who care about you..."

"Professor," Anna spoke to get his attention and her voice softened, "I believe Headmaster Dumbledore cares about you."

"He's an old man with too much time on his hands," grumbled Snape.

Anna frowned, "Well I care about you." The words fell out of her mouth and Anna went from being annoyed with the professor, to suddenly being very anxious. It's not that the words weren't true, she did care about the professor; it was the amount she cared, which was a lot more than she realized. Her heart pounded as she waited for the professor to respond, but instead, they were interrupted by the lunch bell.

"Well… I guess it's time to eat…" Anna spoke awkwardly as she reached for her bag.

"Anna," Snape began though he wasn't entirely sure what to say. It made him very happy to know she cared about him, but it also worried him.

Anna stopped what she was doing when she heard Professor Snape say her name. He had never called her by her first name before.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Snape managed to say when Anna's eyes met his.

Anna nodded, "same time." She then left to make her way back to the castle.

Severus Snape sighed and rubbed his forehead. He shouldn't have called her by her first name. It was too intimate; all of their conversations were intimate. It made it difficult to just be her teacher. He took one more look at the lake before leaving the willow tree and heading back to the castle.

* * *

Anna had made it back to the castle. She was hungry, but did not want to see any of her friends right now. There was so much on her mind and she needed to process it all, so she walked past the great hall and down the spiral staircase to the dungeons, and made her way to the Slytherin Common room.

There were a few other Slytherins in the common room doing their homework; none blinked an eye when she entered. Anna sighed and made her way up to her dorm room. Luckily, being a Prefect meant she got her own room. She pulled a trunk out from under her bed and opened it. Inside she had stored snacks for times like these and grabbed a cauldron cake. She sat down on her bed and began to eat.

She had talked to Snape for three days now, and tomorrow would be the last day before the weekend, and then she didn't have potions on Monday. Anna wondered if that meant she wouldn't see him again till Tuesday after class, or if there was some way they could meet up on the weekend without raising suspicion. The thought of not talking to him for three whole days made her heart ache, bringing back the feelings she had tried to shove aside when they were talking earlier.

She finished her cauldron cake and fell backward onto her bed. A black cat appeared and rubbed her face against Anna's cheek. "You always know when I need you," Anna smiled as she pet her cat, Shadow. Shadow purred as Anna stroked her soft fur.

"I think," Anna spoke as she looked up at the ceiling, her voice only audible to her, "I'm falling in love." As soon as she said the words out loud it was like a wave of relief washed over her. She had learned the importance of owning her feelings in her healing journey, but that didn't automatically make everything better, sometimes it created more complications.

"Only problem is," she turned to face Shadow, who sat staring at Anna with big yellow eyes, "he's a professor." Shadow yawned and began to groom her paw with her rough little pink tongue.

Anna frowned, "That's not very helpful." Shadow ignored her and moved onto washing behind her ears with her paw. To Shadow, it obviously wasn't a problem, but what did a cat know about people or feelings for that matter?

"_Animals know more than we do_," her father's words came back to haunt her as she watched Shadow. A tear slid down her cheek. She missed him dearly.

"I could really use their advice right now," Anna sobbed as she thought of her parents. Shadow rubbed her head against Anna's cheek.

Anna's father had loved three times. His first love was killed due to being on different sides; he killed his second because she had gone mad, and finally got it right with the third or at least that's how her mother liked to tell the story.

Anna was too little then to understand how someone could love another person so different from themselves, let alone kill someone you loved. Even now, she found the concept hard, but was beginning to experience firsthand how complicated love could be.

"_We don't get to choose who we love,_" her mother's words entered her thoughts, "_it would make life less exciting if we could_."

"But a whole lot easier," Anna mumbled, petting Shadow. She accepted she had feelings for professor Snape, but now what? Should she act on those feelings? She was a student and he was a teacher. It would be seen as favoritism. She could drop out, but that meant leaving Hogwarts, which she didn't really want to do. Plus Snape worked at Hogwarts. Would he leave for her? Did he even feel the same?

Anna felt light-headed, despite already laying down, and she could feel her heart pounding against her chest. She was panicking and in times like these she would usually seek out advice from someone, but who could she trust? Who could she talk to without getting the professor in trouble, without risking her time here at Hogwarts?

"_Dumbledore_," the headmaster was the first person to enter Anna's mind. He was the one that set this up; surely he knew this might happen. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She looked at the clock on the wall. She had to go if she wanted to make it to Charms class on time. Anna sighed as she got up, seeing Dumbledore would have to wait till after dinner.

Anna switched the books out of her bag and gave Shadow one last pet before leaving the girl's dormitory.

* * *

"We missed you at lunch," Briar spoke as Anna sat down across from him at dinner. Her last two classes had managed to distract her from thinking about Professor Snape, but now at dinner, seeing him at the high table, brought all those feelings back.

"I wanted to get a head start on homework," Anna lied as she piled mashed potatoes on her plate. She didn't really want to be around people right now, but knew she had to eat since she had already skipped lunch.

"You study too much," Finley commented before taking a bite out of his pork chop.

Anna ignored him as she ate her food. The faster she ate, the faster she could leave the great hall. She would probably go to the library to actually try to do her homework for a bit before going to Dumbledore's office. That would give the headmaster time to eat and get back to his study.

"Are you okay?" Briar was pretty good at picking up on Anna's moods.

Anna chewed slowly. She wished she could talk to Briar about this, but already knew he would disapprove. Plus she had a hunch that Briar didn't just see her as a friend, but she wasn't going to go down that path right now. She had enough on her plate.

"I'll talk to you later," Anna finally responded. It was the best thing she could come up with for now and knew Briar would leave her alone for the time being. The only downside is she would have to come up with something to tell him later.

Briar just nodded in response. He understood Anna would sometimes get triggered and though she hadn't told him everything, she was slowly opening up to him.

Anna quickly finished eating, wrapped up some leftovers for Shadow later, and left the table. She couldn't bear to be in the same room with Professor Snape right now. It didn't help that she caught him glancing at her a few times. It made her super anxious. She made her way to the library.

Anna found a vacant desk, which wasn't hard at this time as most students were at dinner. She opened her book bag and pulled out her quill and ink. She decided to start with her Transfiguration essay.

Luckily, Anna's homework kept her mind busy and she didn't think about the professor at all. Unfortunately, she hadn't watched the clock as closely as she should have. She hurriedly shoved her books into her bag. If she wanted to try and see Dumbledore before curfew, she needed to go.

Anna debated if she should just wait till tomorrow, but knew she wouldn't get any sleep tonight until she poured out her feelings to someone. Plus she would have to see Professor Snape tomorrow and she didn't think she could bear to without talking to Headmaster Dumbledore first.

Anna arrived at the stone gargoyle, the entrance to Dumbledore's study. She stopped to catch her breath before muttering, "Sherbet Lemon." The gargoyle moved, revealing the spiral staircase to the headmaster's office. Anna ran up the steps to the top and grabbed the griffin shaped brass knocker. The door swung open.

"Come in Miss Snow," Dumbledore said calmly as Anna ran over to his desk. He knew her panicked knock very well. She was also the only student who came to his office this late, which is one of the reasons he had chosen her to be a Prefect; it saved him the trouble of having other students and teachers complain that she was out past curfew.

"I'm sorry to disturb you headmaster, but I need… I need…" Anna was still out of breath. Dumbledore waved the door shut and motioned for the poor girl to have a seat.

"Now, what do you need?" Dumbledore asked after Anna had taken a seat. He handed her a glass of water before taking a seat at his desk.

Anna took the glass and took a sip before replying, "I need to talk about…" Anna stopped. She was suddenly beginning to have second thoughts about talking to Dumbledore about her feelings.

"How are things with you and Professor Snape?" pressed Dumbledore sensing Anna's hesitation.

Anna sighed, "Good, that's what…" She took a deep breath, "that's what I wanted to talk to you about…" She took a drink of her water.

"Ah…" Dumbledore smiled, "perhaps things are too good?"

"Headmaster, I…" Anna blushed, but it was no use not telling him now and she had come here with the intent to tell him her feelings, "I think I'm falling for the professor."

"I see," Dumbledore replied, "have you told..."

"No!" Anna blurted, feeling flustered, "I'm not even sure… I…I just… I don't want to complicate things…" She rambled before solemnly concluding, "I'm a student. He's a professor."

"We don't get to choose who we love," Dumbledore spoke, causing Anna to look at him in shock. Her mother had said the exact same thing. Dumbledore continued, "If you should ever choose to express your feelings for Severus, and should he return those feelings, we will worry about it then."

"Headmaster…" Anna began, but was at a loss for words.

"Does that put your mind at ease?" asked Dumbledore.

Anna nodded.

"Good," Dumbledore stood, "It's late, you should return to your house."

"Y-Yes sir," Anna stuttered. She had forgotten how late it was. She made her way to the door, but stopped before leaving and turned to look back at Dumbledore, "Thank you, Headmaster."

Dumbledore smiled, "Anytime for you my dear." Anna smiled in return before leaving Dumbledore's study and running down the spiral staircase. Though she was a Prefect, she still liked to set a good example for the other students and arrive back to the common room by curfew, especially on nights she didn't have patrol duty.

"Venom," Anna spoke and the passageway to the Slytherin common room appeared. She entered and hastily made her way to her room. Though students had to be in the common room by curfew, they didn't have a set bedtime, so many chose to stay up a few hours later, some doing homework, some were playing games, and some were just chatting. Anna, on the other hand, just wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

Anna was greeted by a very loud and whiny "meow," when she entered her room.

"Hungry?" She asked as Shadow followed her around. She hadn't come back after dinner, so Shadow hadn't had her meal yet. Anna opened her school bag and pulled out a little brown package. She set the paper package on the floor and unwrapped it to reveal some cut up pork chop that she had saved from dinner. Shadow eagerly began to eat her meal. Anna then grabbed Shadow's water dish and went to her private bathroom to refresh it.

Once Shadow had been taken care of, Anna went back to the bathroom and began to draw herself a bath. While the water was running, she undressed, setting her robes and uniform on the counter next to the sink, along with her wand. She undid her waterfall braid before walking over to the white porcelain tub. Anna turned the gold knob to stop the water and slowly eased her body into the warm water.

Talking to Dumbledore had eased Anna's mind somewhat, but she still felt a little anxious. Tomorrow she would have to see Professor Snape and the thought excited and scared her at the same time. Anna knew she had feelings for him, but having never loved anyone besides her family, she wasn't absolutely certain and also wasn't sure if the professor felt the same.

Anna held her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them. She wondered if this might be how Briar felt. He had never told her his feelings, but Finley and Ursa had hinted to her many times that Briar might not see her as just a friend. Unfortunately, Anna didn't return those feelings. She loved Briar as a friend, but he never made her heart flutter or her face flush the way Professor Snape did.

That settled it. She wouldn't tell the professor her feelings until she was certain she loved him and only if he showed in some way that he felt the same for her. She didn't want to risk the bond they had just begun to form.

Anna pulled herself up out of the tub, and wrapped a silver towel that had the Slytherin crest embroidered into it around her body. She unplugged the drain before grabbing another towel and vigorously began to dry her long wavy black hair. All her life people had told her she was the spitting image of her father, and it showed the most after a bath, when her hair was a shaggy mess.

She grabbed a comb and slowly ran it through her hair. Then she brushed her teeth, slipped into her green and silver satin nightgown, grabbed her wand, and crawled into bed. Shadow hopped up and greeted Anna by rubbing her furry body against hers, as if to tell her, "_told you there was nothing to worry about_."

Anna smiled and stroked Shadow's soft black fur. To others, Shadow may just be a cat, but to Anna, she was a very good friend. Her father's relationship with his dire wolf, Ghost, was evidence enough that animals were definitely more than just pets and could be very loyal.

She waved her wand to turn out the lights in her room before tucking it under her pillow. She liked to keep it close by just in case something were to happen. It made her feel safe. She lied down and pulled a green quilt over her. Shadow curled up next to her and began to purr. Anna smiled and closed her eyes.


	4. The Rainstorm

**Chapter 4: The Rainstorm**

Anna woke the next morning to discover that the weather would not be kind today. She hadn't been paying as close of attention as she should have to the forecast. Anna hoped this didn't mean she wouldn't be able to see Professor Snape today as meeting outside would be out of the question if it was raining. Storms were also triggering for her, so she hoped it wouldn't be more than a light shower, but to be safe, she took a little bit of the Drought of Peace she and Briar had made in Potions class the other day.

Briar sat on one of the black leather sofas in front of the fireplace in the Slytherin common room while he waited for Anna. He had purposely gotten up extra early this morning in hopes of seeing her as he missed her most of yesterday. Plus, he had a hunch it was going to storm today and he knew Anna often didn't feel well when the weather was this bad.

"Good morning," Briar stood and greeted Anna as she entered the common room, startling Anna. It was unlike him to be up so early and Anna feared this meant he was expecting her to talk to him about the other day.

"You're up early," Anna tread carefully as she walked up to him.

"And you've been acting… off…" Briar lowered his voice so that the few other early risers in the common room couldn't hear them, "and I know the weather…"

"Briar," Anna spoke firmly, "I will talk to you when I am ready."

"I know, but there is supposed to be a fierce storm today," Briar cautioned, "if you need…"

"I'll be fine," Anna softened, "I took some Drought of Peace." She knew Briar cared for her and was only trying to be kind, but sometimes, she wished he didn't worry so much.

"I see... If you ever need to…"

"I know," Anna interrupted him and gave him a hug, "You're a good friend, Briar."

If only Anna knew how much those words hurt. Briar wished she would open up to him more, but what he really desired, was for her to return his feelings. It was painful keeping his love for her a secret, but as long as she saw him as just a friend, then a friend he would remain.

"Did you want to get breakfast?" asked Anna as she withdrew her hug.

"Sure," Briar responded, forcing a smile. Together, they left the Slytherin common room and headed to the great hall to grab breakfast before their classes.

* * *

The rain didn't start pouring until halfway through potions class, though there were no windows in the dungeon, the rain fell hard enough that the students could hear the muffled pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the castle. It was also a written test day, making it even easier to hear the rain as the room was silent except for the faint scratching sounds of quills moving across paper.

"How are you holding up?" Briar asked Anna after potions class was over.

"I'm okay Briar," Anna was beginning to get a little annoyed, but truth was, even after having taken some Drought of Peace, she still felt a little on edge. She wondered if she should have taken more than a few drops.

"Alright, well, if you need anything, just let me know," Briar offered.

"I will," Anna promised and that seemed to appease Briar as he finally left the classroom to get to his next class. Anna packed up her quill and ink and then walked across the hall to Professor Snape's office. The classroom cleared out quicker on written test days as there weren't cauldrons to clean or ingredients to put away.

Just as she was about to enter Professor Snape's office, she heard a distant roar of thunder and her heart skipped a beat. She took a deep breath, "_you are safe here_," and breathed out. Her body relaxed and she entered Snape's office.

"Close the door," Professor Snape spoke from his desk as Anna entered, startling her.

"Y-yes," Anna stammered and closed the door behind her.

"Sorry," Snape apologized setting his quill down and standing, "but we'll have to talk in here today, if that's alright with you?"

"Yes," Anna nodded, glad that he still wanted to see her. The professor motioned for her to sit on a brown leather couch located in front of a burning fireplace.

There was a small oval mahogany coffee table in-between the sofa and fireplace, and on the table sat a black tea set, neatly organized on a silver platter. It was as if the professor had planned on this and Anna's heart began to flutter. She took a deep breath and placed her school bag on the floor before taking a seat on the sofa. Professor Snape joined her shortly after.

"Feel free to help yourself," Snape offered, motioning to the tea set.

"Thank you," Anna smiled and poured herself some tea. As Anna took a sip of her tea, Snape poured himself a cup. Anna waited for him to take a sip before speaking, "Professor…"

Just then, Anna heard another muffled boom of thunder.

"Is everything okay?" Professor Snape asked when he saw Anna freeze. He set his teacup down on the table.

"F-Fine," Anna stuttered and she set her teacup down before continuing nervously, "I was just um… wondering, with the weekend, when would you um… like to meet next?"

"I will be grading papers in my office for most of the weekend," Snape began and Anna felt her heart sink, until he continued, "you can stop by anytime though, whenever you can get a break from your friends."

"I'll be careful, I promise," Anna replied happily. Another roar of thunder could be heard, this time louder.

"It sounds like it's going to be quite a storm," Professor Snape commented as he reached for his cup of tea. He took a sip and didn't even notice that Anna had flinched.

"Yes," Anna replied softly, doing her best to keep her composure. She didn't want the professor to see her like this.

"You said you live with your aunt?" asked Snape, trying to return to yesterday's conversation.

"Yes," Anna answered, "Queen Sansa." There was more thunder and Anna clenched her fists, glad that Snape had chosen to take another sip of his tea at that moment so he wouldn't see that she was scared.

"Why not King's Landing?"

"Oh, they both, King Bran and Queen Sansa, felt I would be safer with Queen Sansa given my father's history," Anna answered, unclenching her fists, "Aunt Sansa also went through a similar experience, not as harsh as mine, but she was still able to relate… Plus I was already accustomed to living in the north… well north of the wall, but it was still close to home… what once was home anyway…" Anna stopped rambling, "but what about you, what happened after you were found?"

Professor Snape set his cup down and looked at the fire, "I was thirteen with no family."

There was more thunder. Anna clenched her hands and did her best to focus on the professor.

"Most students start Hogwarts at eleven, but like you," He turned to look at her and Anna quickly reached for her cup of tea in hopes he didn't notice that she had tensed up. Snape was a little suspicious of Anna's behavior, but continued speaking, "I had to start late. Dumbledore allowed me to live here and stay year-round. When I graduated, he offered me a teaching position, and well, this is my home now…"

There was another roar of thunder, much louder this time, frightening Anna and causing her to drop her teacup.

"I-I'm sorry," Anna trembled as she reached for the fallen cup and placed it back on the table.

"Scourgify," Professor Snape waved his wand at the spilled tea on the floor and it was gone. There was another loud roar of thunder. "Miss Snow," Snape turned his attention to Anna, who sat trembling, "Are you alright?"

Anna bit her lip in an attempt to hold back her tears. She didn't want him to see her like this.

"Anna?" Snape spoke again, using her first name in an attempt to get a response. The thunder continued. Her eyes met his and she shook her head as tears fell down her face. He instinctively pulled her into his arms.

"I'm sorry," Anna sobbed. Snape grabbed her face with his hands to command her attention. Anna felt her heart race as she looked into the professor's kind, dark eyes.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Snape spoke firmly, yet affectionately. Anna nodded and buried her face in his robes, allowing the tears to fall.

Snape held her close to him. Of all the emotions he was feeling in that moment, it was the rage he felt that struck him the most. He had the strongest urge to kill the person who had hurt Anna even though he knew that person was probably already long gone.

The amount of anger he felt, also made him realize just how much he cared for Anna. There was only one other person who had ever made him feel this much, Lily Evans. Lily was gone though and Snape was sure, at the time, that he would never love another as much as he loved her, but here he was, holding Anna in his arms, and his heart was melting. He didn't want to let go.

The storm continued, but the thunder didn't frighten Anna as much as before. She felt safe with Professor Snape. She used the sleeves of her robes to wipe her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Snape asked as he felt Anna pull away from him.

"I will be," Anna answered honestly. "I.." She was about to apologize, but remembered the professor had told her not to, "I-I'm supposed to be helping you…" She felt like she had failed him, and Dumbledore. The headmaster had entrusted her to help the professor heal, yet here she was, falling apart, all because of a little thunder.

Snape used his hand to gently lift Anna's chin so she was looking at him, "You are." His hand gently caressed her cheek, "more than you realize."

Anna felt her face flush as his hand left her cheek and she looked down, hoping the professor wouldn't see. She placed her hands on her beating heart in an attempt to calm it. Once she got a hang of her emotions, she glanced over at Professor Snape to see him pouring another cup of tea.

"It was storming the night…" Anna turned to look at the fire burning in the fireplace as she began to speak of the details of her past, "I was a girl, so… so I knew it… it would happen at some point…"

"You don't have to…" Professor Snape interrupted. He didn't want her to feel pressured into telling him the details of what happened to her, but also, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it. He had a feeling it would only anger him.

"I want to," Anna cut him off and spoke quietly, "I never told anyone this before."

Snape nodded, allowing her to continue, but he could already feel his blood boiling.

"I was nine. I hadn't even bled yet, which was a benefit for him I suppose... Didn't have to worry about me having children…" Anna continued, "…though I knew what was coming, I didn't realize the horror that would come with it." She paused to swallow, "Not only was I raped… I was beaten… whipped. The thunder drowned out my cries, which is why..." She clenched her fists, "…every time it stormed, he would…"

"Please stop," Snape interjected. Just hearing what happened to her made him so angry. Of course he couldn't have done anything, he didn't even know she existed until she came to Hogwarts; yet, he couldn't help but feel helpless, like he had somehow failed her.

"Professor…" Anna began, but the lunch bell cut her off. They both sat in silence after the bell finished chiming. It was still storming, but the thunder had quieted down for now.

Professor Snape was about to stand when Anna grabbed his arm. "Please," she begged. She didn't want him to leave and she didn't think she could bear to be alone right now.

"We should…" Snape began, but seeing her pleading eyes, realized leaving her now would be cruel, "I'll send for a house elf to bring us some lunch." Snape stood, "I'll be right back," he promised before leaving his office.

Anna pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself; she felt really vulnerable right now. The thunder rolled in the distance, but Anna didn't even hear it as she was more concerned with what Professor Snape thought of her now, now that he knew more details about her past.

Professor Snape returned with a platter of food, which he placed on the coffee table next to the tea. He looked over at Anna and noticed she still seemed a little shaken up.

"My captor wasn't into boys," He felt the best response now was to tell her his story. He believed it would comfort her to know that she wasn't the only person to have been treated so cruelly.

He sat down next to her before continuing his tale, "but he was twisted in his own ways. He knew magic, and the major downside to magic is that you can do almost anything to someone... " Anna slowly lifted her head to look at him and Snape continued, "I have come close to death more times than I can remember. Many times I wished for it, but well what fun would that have been…"

They both sat in silence for a moment, staring at the fire. Anna felt a little better after hearing the professor share his story. "Thank you," She said resting a hand on the professor's hand. Snape just nodded and rested his other hand on top of hers. He hated to admit it, but he was beginning to believe Dumbledore was right about them needing each other.

When the moment passed, Anna leaned forward to grab one of the turkey sandwiches off the silver platter that Professor Snape had brought in. Snape followed suit.

Anna didn't realize how hungry she was until she took a bite. They ate their sandwiches in silence for a bit until another loud roar of thunder caused her to flinch.

"You have classes later I assume?" Snape asked with concern.

Anna nodded as she finished chewing her last bite of sandwich

"I can send the other professors a message if you would like…" Snape offered. He knew it was out of his character, but he felt inclined to help her.

"No," Anna answered softly, "It's okay. They'll understand. It's not the first time I've missed classes…" She didn't want to be a burden to him, and she worried the other teachers might get suspicious and the last thing she wanted was for Snape to no longer want to see her. That thought was scarier than any storm.

"I see," said Snape, "I have to teach another class, but I can escort you back to the common room…"

"Could I stay here," Anna blurted and then blushed, "I mean… if it's alright with you, could I just stay here?"

Snape was taken aback by her request and rebutted, "My-My office isn't really the most comfortable…"

"I feel safe here…" Anna spoke in a saddened tone, and Snape couldn't refuse her.

"Alright," Snape caved and Anna's face lit up, causing his heart to skip a beat.

"Thank you," Anna hugged the professor. Snape could feel his heart racing and his face flush.

"I-I should prepare," Professor Snape spoke, feeling flustered, as he withdrew from Anna. He stood and composed himself before speaking again, "Are you sure you will be okay here, on your own?"

"I'll be alright," Anna assured him.

"I'll be back in an hour then," Professor Snape promised as he made his way to his door. He looked back at her. He hated leaving her alone, but he had a class, and being that he rarely canceled classes, he didn't want to raise any suspicions.

"I'll be fine," Anna reassured him.

Snape nodded and left. He cast a locking spell on his office door to be safe. It was very rare for anyone to try and enter his office without his permission, but he didn't want to take any chances.

After Professor Snape left the office, Anna began to clean up the coffee table. She felt it was the most she could do after the professor allowed her to stay in his office. It also kept her mind off the storm.

Once she had piled everything onto one tray, she stacked it onto the other. Anna then grabbed her book bag. She figured she might as well do homework while she waited for the professor to return. She set her ink and quill on the coffee table and pulled out her History of Magic book along with some parchment. As she was about to start her essay, there was another loud roar of thunder. Her hand shook and she closed her eyes.

"I am safe here," she spoke aloud and took a deep breath and thought, "_I can feel my feet on the ground,_" before releasing her breath.

She looked around Professor Snape's office. She hadn't ever really observed his office before, but she also hadn't spent that much time in his office. Behind his desk were shelves full of bottles of different colors, shapes, and sizes. Lower on the shelf, there were a few rows of books. The storm continued, but Anna couldn't hear it anymore.

She stood up and walked over to the professor's desk. She ran her fingers over the round mahogany table. Then she moved over to the wall of potions, some had labels, some didn't. It was then she noticed a little clear bottle with her name on it. She gently took it off the shelf to get a better look. It was the Drought of Peace she had made with Briar, yet he had only written her name.

Her heart raced and her face flushed as she held the little bottle. Her brain was telling her it didn't mean much as the professor often kept samples of their potions, well the ones done right, but she didn't see any other bottles labeled with students' names. Her heart pounded and she closed her eyes for a moment. Was this love?

Anna, still unsure of her feelings, carefully placed the bottle back on the shelf where she had found it. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall; the professor would be back soon. She sighed and decided to return to her History of Magic essay that sat blank on the coffee table.

Anna didn't get very far into her paper when she heard the office door open.

"How are you?" Professor Snape asked as he returned, closing the door behind him. He had found it rather difficult to concentrate on his students in his last class, as he was worried about her, so he felt relieved when he was finally able to return to his office.

"Much better," Anna answered as the professor sat down next to her and then frowned as she looked at her homework, "except for this essay."

"You're the best student in your class, possibly the school…" Snape commented as Anna wrote with her quill.

"It doesn't mean I like homework," Anna countered setting her quill aside, "and I worked really hard to catch up to everyone else."

"Why?" asked Snape.

Anna had never been asked that question before. Why did she work so hard to be good at magic? What was she hoping to accomplish, or maybe the better question was who was she trying to impress?

"When your family consists of Queen Sansa of the North and King Bran of The Six Kingdoms there's this need… I feel the need to live up to them… like it's what my parents would want. Even though they're not alive, I just… I want to make them proud…" It was hard to find the words as she wasn't even sure herself. She just felt this pressure to be the best witch she could be, even if she only bore the name Snow and was not truly a Stark.

"You were a prodigy weren't you professor?" Anna switched the conversation over to him.

"So some would say…" Snape answered unsure where she was going.

"I'm sure you worked hard too," Anna commented, "why?"

"After being helpless for so many years," Snape replied, "It felt empowering to have the ability to control magic. I was drawn to the power, and just happened to have a strong knack for it."

"A true Slytherin," Anna noted as she returned to work on her essay.

Professor Snape watched her as she continued writing. He may not have had loving parents, but Anna did, and he couldn't fault her for wanting to live up to her family name, no matter how ambitious that may be.

"I'm sure your father and mother would be very proud of you," Snape spoke softly, breaking the silence. Anna didn't know why, but hearing him say those words caused her to tear up.

"Thank you," she wiped the tears from her eyes using her robe sleeves.

Snape just nodded his head, unsure of what to say next. The closest thing he ever had to family was Lily, who was surely gone now. Everything he did after being rescued was to make himself stronger, more powerful, but for what means?

Anna finished her essay and began to pack up. It would soon be time for dinner and she couldn't avoid Briar anymore. She would need him to update her on what she missed in Charms and Transfiguration. As much as she wished she could stay with Professor Snape is in his office, she also figured he may want the room to himself.

"Thank you again, for letting me stay," Anna said as she closed her school bag.

Snape nodded and asked with concern, "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yes," Anna smiled at him as she stood, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes," Snape returned her smile. Anna's heart skipped a beat and she gave Professor Snape a quick, awkward wave, before leaving his office, careful to make sure the dungeon was clear before walking out. She placed a hand on her cheeks. They felt warm. She was definitely blushing. Anna took a few deep breaths to calm herself as she exited the dungeon.

* * *

She arrived at the Great Hall to find Briar already at the Slytherin table, as usual. Anna sighed and walked over to him. Instead of sitting across from him today though, she chose to sit next to him.

"Hey," Anna greeted him, "I'm sorry I haven't…"

"It's okay," Briar interjected, "I understand, well I don't but… you know what I mean."

Anna smiled, glad that Briar wasn't upset with her.

"How are you feeling?" asked Briar.

"Much better," Anna answered and she wasn't lying. She had forgotten all about the storm, which from the sounds of it, had already passed.

"That's good," Briar replied as he began to fill his plate with food.

"Could we talk later?" Anna asked, causing Briar to freeze. "I missed the last two classes, so if you could fill me in that would be great," She continued and nervously added, "plus some other stuff…"

Briar nodded, "Sure." He was glad that Anna was beginning to open up to him more.

Soon Ursa and Finley joined them and they returned to regular conversations and eating. Anna glimpsed up at the head table to see Professor Snape had come up for dinner as well. His eyes met hers and she smiled before returning to her friends.

Professor Snape didn't have much time to process his feelings as shortly after Anna had smiled at him, Dumbledore handed him a rolled up piece of parchment. Before he even had a chance to ask about the letter, the headmaster had taken his seat at the head table.

Snape unfurled the parchment and frowned. It was a request to meet Dumbledore in his office later tonight. He figured the headmaster would want an update on his meetings with Anna, but he was not looking forward to it.

* * *

Later that evening, Professor Snape made his way up the spiral staircase to Headmaster Dumbledore's office as he had been instructed. He entered the office without knocking to find Dumbledore sitting at his desk.

"You asked to see me," Snape spoke with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Yes," Dumbledore answered, "How are things going with Miss Snow?"

"Fine," Snape answered simply, "Now if that's all…"

"Good, good," Dumbledore interrupted, "Are you still concerned…"

"I assure you," Snape spoke defensively, "there is nothing going on between me and Miss Snow."

"Do you like her Severus?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Sir?" Snape was taken off guard.

"Do you like her?" he repeated.

"I…" Snape was unsure how to answer. He hadn't expected the headmaster to be so blunt and he struggled to find a way to answer the question so that it wouldn't give Dumbledore the wrong idea. He liked Anna. She was clever, smart, ambitious, and sweet. Just thinking about her made his heart feel ten times lighter, but he couldn't tell the headmaster that. This was one matter he didn't want Dumbledore meddling in, at least for the time being.

"That will be all," Dumbledore ended the conversation there. Though Severus hadn't answered him directly, he had the info he needed. Severus's body language gave him away, and whether he knew it or not, it was obvious he was falling for the girl.

Snape wanted to argue but decided against it. He was afraid if he said anything else, Dumbledore would take it the wrong way. Feeling frustrated, he left without saying another word to Dumbledore. Snape was grateful for Dumbledore, but sometimes, Dumbledore, despite his good intentions, could get too involved in Snape's personal life.


	5. The Second Storm

**Chapter 5: The Second Storm**

* * *

After Dinner, Briar and Anna walked back to the common room and found a quiet spot by a window, which looked out into the Great Lake. There were jellyfish floating about right now, creating a calming ambience.

"I'm sorry I've been so…" Anna began to apologize, but had difficulty finding the words, "…off… the past couple of days..."

"It's alright," Briar responded, "I just, I wish…" He also struggled to find the right words. As much as he wanted Anna to talk to him, he hadn't realized how awkward it was going to be.

"Sometimes little things, or like today, a storm, can bring back the past," Anna spoke quietly, "and I just can't escape…" She hoped that would be enough for Briar. He was a friend, a good friend, but even so, he could never understand the horrors she went through, not like Professor Snape could.

"I only know what rumors have been told, so I can only imagine what happened to you," said Briar sadly, "but I just wish, I wish I could help in some way."

"Well…" Anna began, "you could help by telling me what I missed in Charms and Transfiguration."

Briar frowned, but reached for his school bag to find his notes from today's classes for her.

"Briar," Anna spoke tenderly, "you are more helpful than you realize."

"How?" Briar asked bitterly as he placed his books and notes on the coffee table in front of them. He was frustrated that Anna could just act like everything was okay between them because she apologized.

Anna grabbed his hand, "Because you are still here. You are still my friend." She looked into his eyes, "Sometimes I just need to be alone, but knowing you are there, that you will be waiting for me after the darkness has passed, that's how you help me." Anna hugged him, "I just need you to be my friend."

Her words stung Briar and it felt as if his heart was breaking even though he had never even told her he loved her. If just being her friend is what she needed, Briar didn't know if he could help her. Every day his unrequited love became a heavier and heavier burden to bear; he didn't know how much longer he could suppress his feelings.

"Alright," Briar finally found the will to speak, "Let's go over what you missed in class." He withdrew from her and began to open his Charms book. A distraction is what he needed right now, and homework was always a good distraction.

"Thank you," Anna smiled and grabbed her supplies so she could copy Briar's notes. Anna spent the rest of the evening getting caught up on the classes she missed. When they had finished, Briar went to play cards with his other friends, while Anna decided to head up to bed early.

Anna entered her room and was immediately greeted by a very hungry cat. She smiled at Shadow and pulled out some leftovers from dinner for the cat. She decided to skip taking a bath and changed into her pajamas before crawling into bed. Today had been an emotional roller coaster and she felt drained. It didn't take long for her to drift off into sleep.

* * *

Over the weekend, Anna had made it to Professor Snape's office early in the morning both days. She figured that would be the best time as most students slept in on the weekend. They spent their time talking about more mundane things, like how Anna was doing in classes and how Professor Snape became so good at potions, as well as magic in general, particularly the dark arts. It was nice to take a break from their terrible pasts and to get to know each other a little better.

Anna didn't have potions or a free period on Monday, so they both agreed to see each other on Tuesday. It was just one day, but Anna had never hated a Monday so much. The day seemed longer than others and she could not wait for Tuesday to arrive.

When Tuesday did arrive, they continued to keep their conversations focused on school or Anna's family. Professor Snape didn't like to talk about his family, which was understandable as he didn't really care for his family or have as famous of a family as she did, so Anna tried her hardest not to pry too much in that area, but was happy to talk about her relatives.

Depending on the weather, they would meet in Professor Snape's office, or at their secret spot under the willow tree by the lake. It wasn't until another storm hit on Friday, they returned to the events of the past.

"How are you?" Professor Snape asked as Anna entered his office after class. He had rushed over to her, which was understandable as last time she had become a crying mess in his office. However, she was holding up quite well today and she hoped he hadn't spent the whole class worrying about her.

"I'm fine," Anna assured him, flattered that he was so concerned about her, "The storms don't bother me as much anymore." She walked past him and sat down on the brown leather sofa.

"Really?" Professor Snape was skeptical as he made his way over to the sofa.

"Tell me, professor," Anna began as she poured herself a cup of tea, "when was the last time you had an outburst in class?" She took a sip while waiting for him to answer. She knew he hadn't had any instances during her classes, but she also hadn't heard from other students lately about "mad" or "crazy" Professor Snape, so she had a hunch he was also doing a lot better since they started talking to each other.

It was then Professor Snape realized that he hadn't lost his temper, not even once since he had started talking to Anna. He sat down next to her before answering, "I haven't since we started talking."

"Ironic isn't it?" Anna sat her teacup down, "In order to get past our fears, we have to talk about them, but often we're too afraid to tell anyone…"

Snape just nodded as he stared into the fire. It was ironic indeed, especially since he had recently developed a new fear; He was falling in love with Anna. Every day he looked forward to seeing her and hearing her voice. As much as he wanted to tell her how he felt, he feared that she might not return his feelings and also feared what others would think.

If she wasn't a student, if he wasn't a teacher, then it would have made things a lot easier. However, it was no use wishing for things to be different, because had she not been a student and had he not become a professor, they would probably have never have met, and Snape felt the latter was worse.

"Professor?" Anna inquired, breaking the silence. He seemed lost in his thoughts. "Is everything alright?" Anna pressed when he didn't respond right away.

"Yes, sorry," Professor Snape said turning his attention to her. They both looked up as they heard they heard the loud roar of thunder.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Snape asked again, concerned for her.

"It still startles me," Anna answered honestly, "but, I don't get swallowed up by the fear anymore. After talking telling you what happened… and being here…" She blushed and her heart raced as she spoke, "I feel safe… especially with you."

Professor Snape could feel his face flush and he turned away from her, hoping she wouldn't notice, "I see…" He looked at the fire burning in his fireplace, hoping it would help calm his beating heart.

"Is there anything you're afraid of, professor?" Anna asked, turning her attention to the flames dancing in the fireplace.

Snape glanced over at her, of course, the one thing he feared he couldn't tell her, but it almost felt wrong to lie. However, what he ended up saying wasn't much better either.

"Everyone is afraid of something…" It was a vague answer, and he was sure not what she wanted to hear, but knowing her, she would understand.

Anna frowned. She was a little disappointed in his answer, but also knew it would be wrong to push him to talk unless he wanted to.

"It's silly, but I'm sometimes afraid that you won't want to see me," Anna decided to be brave and test the waters. She had a hunch he felt the same about her, but wouldn't know until one of them decided to confess.

Snape could feel his heart racing in his chest. Did she feel the same? Did he want to risk it? His heart screamed yes, but his brain warned him of all the consequences and the fear got to him.

It seemed like forever before Professor Snape spoke, but when he did, Anna felt her heart shatter.

"Miss Snow…" It actually hurt to address Anna as a student, but Snape had no choice if he wanted to keep things the way they were.

Hearing him call her by her last name in his teacher voice pained Anna in a way she couldn't describe.

"It's just a silly fear… it's nothing really…" Anna stammered as she rushed to prevent him from saying any more as she wasn't sure she wanted to hear his next words. Maybe she was wrong? Maybe she was only a student to him? She forced a smile in an attempt to hide her inner turmoil from him.

Professor Snape could see right through her smile though and he felt horrible. He was about to speak when the lunch bell chimed.

"Well I guess it's time to eat," Anna had never been so glad for the lunch bell. On any other day, she hated it as it meant her time with the professor was over, but today, she was grateful for the escape.

"I'll uh… see you tomorrow?" Professor Snape managed to speak. He was frustrated at how they were leaving things, but still wanted to see her.

"Yes," Anna smiled, holding back tears, and hurriedly left his office. Instead of going to the Great Hall for lunch, she ran towards the Slytherin Common room. Once she made it to her room, she leaned against the closed door and sunk to the floor, allowing the tears to flow freely. Anna had revealed a little piece of her heart to the professor, but unfortunately, it seemed he didn't return those feelings. Shadow mewed and rubbed up against Anna to comfort her, but it wouldn't be enough to heal a broken heart.

* * *

Professor Snape slammed his fist down on his desk. This was Dumbledore's fault. He had meddled. He had put them together. Snape stormed out of his office and to the Great Hall. He needed to talk to Dumbledore and knew the headmaster would be at lunch.

When Snape arrived at the Great Hall, Dumbledore was already at the head table. He marched over to the headmaster. "We need to talk," he spoke firmly.

"About?" Dumbledore questioned, unsure as to why Severus looked so upset. He thought things were going well between him and Anna. He had noticed Anna wasn't at the Slytherin table as usual, but had assumed it was because of the weather. He, like most of the teachers, knew Anna tended to not feel well during storms.

"You know very well what," Snape spoke through clenched teeth.

"Tonight, my office," Dumbledore replied calmly.

Still angry, but satisfied with that response, Severus left the Great Hall.

* * *

Later that evening Dumbledore made his way down to the Slytherin common room. A tall, pale, skinny girl with long black hair tied back in a braid was standing outside the entrance.

"Headmaster, is-is something wrong?" Moira stuttered, startled to see the Headmaster walking towards the entrance of the Slytherin Common Room. Even seeing Professor Snape was a rare sight, despite him being Head of Slytherin.

"Shouldn't Miss Snow be on duty tonight?" Dumbledore questioned the Head Girl.

"Y-yes, but she's not feeling well," Moira stumbled and frowned. Anna was really slacking on her Prefect duties, but everyone pretty much gave her a free pass. Originally, it made sense because Anna was at the top of her class, so a great student, but as it turns out, that doesn't necessarily make one a good Prefect.

"I thought as much," Dumbledore said as he reached into one of the pockets of his red robes.

"Did something happen?" Moira asked, now feeling concern towards Anna. Anna's past wasn't a secret to anyone, so almost everyone knew she had "unwell" days, but for the headmaster to actually come down to check on her, was a bit concerning.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Dumbledore said before handing her a rolled-up scroll, "Can you give this message to her for me."

"I can try…" Moira said accepting the parchment from Dumbledore. She had heard other students say they saw Anna enter her room before lunch and no one has seen her leave since.

"Thank you," Dumbledore said before leaving. He had to make it back to his office as he was sure Professor Snape wouldn't have forgotten about their meeting tonight.

Moira entered the Slytherin common room and walked towards the entrance of the girl's dormitory. The Prefect rooms were at the end of the corridor. She walked up to Anna's closed door, took a deep breath, and knocked. She hadn't talked much with Anna besides Prefect duties, but from what she knew; Anna tended to be pretty closed off from everyone, except for a select few she allowed to enter her world.

Anna was startled by the knock on her door. No one had ever come to her room before. She quickly wiped away the tears from her eyes. She had been crying for hours and she was sure she looked like a complete mess.

When there was no response, Moira spoke, "Professor Dumbledore asked me to deliver a letter to you."

Anna sighed. She was taking too long. She quickly pulled her long hair back in a ponytail in an attempt to hide her messy hair, and hoping she looked well enough, and opened the door.

"um… Dumbledore…" Moira began as the door opened, "he wanted me to give this to you." She handed the parchment to Anna.

"Thank you," Anna said taking the letter from Moira.

Moira just nodded and left. She could tell Anna didn't look too well and didn't want to stay long. Plus she had Head Girl duties to attend to as it was almost curfew.

Anna closed her room door and unrolled the letter to see what Dumbledore wanted. Her heart sank when she saw that he wanted to see her in his office tonight. She had a terrible feeling Professor Snape might not want to see her anymore. Though the thought pained her, she had run out of tears to cry.

Anna pulled the ribbon out of her hair as she entered her bathroom. She decided to try and quickly wash her face and fix her hair before seeing Dumbledore, and possible Snape. She had a feeling he might be there as well, and she definitely did not want him to see her like this.

* * *

Dumbledore had just taken a seat at his desk when, right on cue, Severus Snape stormed into his office.

"Ah, Severus, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Dumbledore asked as the young professor stormed up to him, his long black robes billowing behind him.

"You know very well what this is about," Snape snarled.

"Are things between you and Miss Snow not going well then?" asked Dumbledore.

"No… yes…" Snape fumbled out of frustration. "This is your fault!" He exclaimed, pointing a finger at Dumbledore.

"Since I encouraged you and Miss Snow to talk, I haven't heard a single complaint from a student about your behavior," Dumbledore responded calmly. He folded his hands together, "I don't regret my decision."

"It wasn't your decision to make!" Snape shouted.

"But you continued to see her," Dumbledore rebutted, "That was your decision was it not?" He looked over his half-moon spectacles, directly at Severus. Dumbledore could tell Severus was angry, but there was also a pained expression on the professor's face.

"Yes… but... you knew this would happen," Snape spoke bitterly. His hands formed into fists.

"I didn't know anything," Dumbledore said, rising to his feet, "and I still don't know anything…" He stroked his long white beard as he maneuvered to the front of his desk, "but I take it you have grown fond of the girl?"

"I love her," Snape said between gritted teeth. He shook with rage, "Is that what you want to hear? I love her!"

While Dumbledore and Snape were arguing, Anna had made her way to Dumbledore's office. She had heard Professor's Snape's raised voice from outside the Headmaster's door, causing her to hesitate to enter, but curiosity won her over. Anna took a deep breath and as silently as she could, opened the Headmaster's door. She had entered Dumbledore's office just as Snape was about to confess to the headmaster.

Anna couldn't believe what she just heard. He loved her? She stood in shock. Though Snape sounded angry when he said it, she believed he meant those words.

"Professor…" Anna finally spoke, causing the room to fall silent.

"You planned this…." Snape's voice was cold when he spoke to Dumbledore. He felt defeated and left, walking right past Anna.

Anna's heart stopped as Snape stormed past her, not even recognizing she was there despite having just said he loved her. She turned to see him disappear silently behind the headmaster's door.

Anna, trembling, but not from fear, marched up to Dumbledore, "you knew… I don't know how, but you…" She had never felt anger like this before. Someone she admired had hurt her, and that was a new feeling for her. It was a combination of anger, disappointment, and betrayal, and she did not like it.

"I had a hunch," Dumbledore admitted.

"This is cruel," Anna spoke with tears in her eyes. Her hands formed into fists, "It's wrong to meddle with people's feelings!" She shouted.

"Miss Snow," Dumbledore spoke affectionately, "It wasn't my intention to do so." He rested a hand gently on her shoulder, "But…. Now you know how he feels."

"And what good does that do?" Anna asked bitterly, wiping away her tears with her robes. "He… he just left…like I wasn't even here…" she sobbed.

"Because he fears the same thing you fear," Dumbledore responded tenderly. "Go tell him," he whispered in her ear.

"How?" Anna asked, her teary eyes met Dumbledore's wise, blue eyes.

"You know as well as I do where Severus is right now, don't you?" Dumbledore said with a slight smile. He then returned to his desk, signaling their conversation had ended.

Anna was still upset with the headmaster, but there wasn't anything left to say at that point, so she left his office and made the long trek back down to the dungeons. Telling Professor Snape how she felt was more important now than her anger towards Dumbledore.

When she arrived outside Snape's office, she just stared at the door for a moment. He loved her. She hadn't truly allowed those words to sink in. He loved her. It felt as if her heart was melting. She had never felt this happy before, and she bravely knocked on the door. When there was no response, she knocked harder and more persistent. She was not leaving until she saw him, until she could tell him how she felt. He had to know.

Professor Snape had stormed into his office after his conversation with Dumbledore hadn't gone as planned. He paced in his frustration. He had not only told the headmaster how he felt, but had also accidentally confessed to Anna. She wasn't supposed to know. What if she didn't feel the same? And even if she did share his feelings, what then? She was still a student.

He was still pacing when he heard a knock on his door. It was late, and no one ever came to his office, except for Anna. It had to be her as she was there too.

He walked over to the door, but hesitated to open it. She heard him. She heard him confess his feelings to Dumbledore. Any hope of things staying the same between them was lost. The knocking persisted. It was clear she wasn't going to leave and he was afraid she would draw unwanted attention, so with no other choice, he finally opened the door.

Neither said a word as Anna marched into his office. It wasn't until the door closed that Anna turned to face Snape.

"About…" Snape began to speak, but Anna interrupted him.

"I love you too," Anna blurted and she suddenly felt ten times lighter. She had been holding those words in for so long and it felt so good to finally say them, to finally tell him. She had hesitated before because she wasn't entirely sure what love was, but Dumbledore made her realize that she was just scared, scared he wouldn't feel the same.

Anna blushed, "I-I mean, I love you." She tried again, not so rushed this time. Snape moved closer to her and she could feel her heart racing as his hand brushed her cheek.

"Professor…"

"Severus," Snape spoke softly, "Please call me Severus."

"Severus," Anna whispered before his mouth melted into hers. She draped her arms around his neck to pull him closer to her. Severus wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly.

"I love you," Severus spoke as their lips parted. He glanced over at the clock. It was late. Anna was a Prefect, but even Prefects had to return to their room at some point, "but it's late…"

"Can I stay?" Anna asked, pressing herself closer to him. Her body felt as if it was on fire and she didn't want to leave him.

Her request caused Severus's cheeks to flush. It was a weekend, so it was possible no one would even know Anna hadn't returned to her room. He might be willing to take the chance; however, he also didn't want to rush anything as he didn't want to hurt her.

"Are you sure?" Severus asked tenderly running his fingers through Anna's long black hair.

Anna answered him with a kiss, making it hard for him to argue with her.

"Let's go somewhere a little more… comfortable," Severus suggested, realizing they were still in his office. He withdrew from her and walked over to the wall, farthest from his desk. Anna watched as a door magically appeared and Severus allowed her to enter the room first. He followed after and closed the door behind him.

Anna was in Snape's room. She knew a lot of professors lived in the castle, but this was the first time she had been in one of their private quarters. It was similar to the Prefect rooms, but a lot more spacious. To her left there was a small unused desk and chair, and a wardrobe. In the center of the room was a full-size bed and a large black trunk sat in front of the foot of the bed. There was a nightstand to the left of the bed that had a small clock, lamp, and book resting on it. On the right side of the room was a door, which Anna assumed led to a private bathroom, and a few bookshelves filled with books and bottles of various sizes and colors, probably containing various potions.

"It's not much…" Severus began to apologize as his room wasn't much better than his office. He slipped out of his shoes, and took off his robes and hung them on a coat rack that Anna hadn't noticed when she walked in as it was tucked in a corner, hidden when the door was opened.

"It's bigger than my room," Anna smiled, sitting down on his bed and started to remove her patent black shoes.

"Well yes," Severus smiled, walking over to her. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest as he sat down next to her. He had never been with anyone before, never even wanted to until now.

"Have you…" Anna started to ask, as she removed her black robes.

"No," Severus answered honestly knowing very well what she was about to ask. He was beginning to feel anxious, "Have you? I-I mean… by choice..."

"No," Anna answered before he kept rambling. She knew what he meant and could tell he was nervous. She was a little nervous too, but she was also excited.

"Are you sure?" Severus asked; his heart racing.

"Yes," Anna leaned in close to him. "I love you," She affirmed before pressing her lips against his and wrapping her arms around him. Severus eagerly returned her kiss and ran his fingers through her long hair.

They kissed passionately for a while before Severus gently encouraged her to fall back onto his bed so that he was leaning over her. He gently caressed her cheek and moved his hand slowly down till stopping at her chest.

"Is this okay," Severus breathed. He wanted to make sure she was okay with him continuing as the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

Anna nodded and he continued to kiss her as his hands caressed her body. It wasn't until he began to unbutton her white shirt that Anna suddenly began to have second thoughts. She panicked and grabbed his hand.

"Anna?" Severus was startled by her reaction, and became very concerned when he realized she was trembling, "We don't have to…"

"I-I'm…" Anna began, releasing her grip on him. Tears of frustration formed in her eyes, "I'm sorry, I want to… but I..." She began to cry.

"It's alright," Severus assured her, lying down next to her. He stroked her face with his hand, "The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

"I know," Anna sobbed as she nestled up to him.

Severus wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. "I love you," he whispered as he stroked her hair.

Anna clung to him tightly. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, but she couldn't escape the past. It all came back so vividly in the moment and it not only scared her, but angered her. Her captive had taken something so precious from her and now, now she had the chance to be with someone who loved her, and he took that too.


	6. After The Rain

**6\. After The Rain**

The next morning Anna awoke next to Severus. She must have cried herself to sleep. She glanced at the clock on his nightstand, it was still very early. Severus was still asleep. Anna slowly crawled out of bed as to not wake him. She grabbed her robes and snuck away to his bathroom to freshen up. It was when she looked in the mirror that she noticed that the top button of her shirt had been undone, the only one he could get to before she panicked.

Anna blushed as she thought of last night and quickly fixed the button. She grabbed a clean white washcloth from a shelf next to the sink and dampened it in the sink. She used the wet washcloth to wipe away the salty, sticky tears from her face. Her hair was also a tangled mess. She pulled out her wand and procured a brush out of thin air and began to work on detangling it.

Meanwhile, Severus had woken and was in a daze at first, until he remembered last night. His heart skipped a beat. Anna wasn't in bed or in his room. He began to worry that maybe she had left, that he had done something wrong, but then she walked out of his bathroom and he sighed in relief.

"Profess… I mean… Severus…" Anna fumbled as she realized she would have to juggle calling him Professor Snape in class but Severus when alone, "This is going to complicate things…. Isn't it?" She sat down next to him.

"I'm afraid so," Severus answered and then asked, "How are you?"

"I'm fine now," Anna said, but there was disappointment in her voice, "I'm sorry about last night…"

"I don't know what he did to you," Severus spoke quietly, "I can only imagine… so I understand," He clenched his jaw. Just thinking about someone hurting her angered him. "But I would never hurt you," he promised, looking into her soft brown eyes, "at least not intentionally..."

"I know," Anna said leaning into him. When his lips met hers, it felt as if her body was on fire. She wished she could keep the flame burning, but thinking about going any further, extinguished the sparks that had ignited inside of her.

"It angers me," Anna confessed as she withdrew from him, "I didn't get to choose him to be my first, and now, now that I get to choose, I…" Tears flowed from her eyes.

"There's no rush," Severus whispered as he hugged her, resting his head on hers.

When he first met Anna, Dumbledore had said he needed her, but he was starting to see that Anna needed him too. She appeared so strong, which had made him a bit envious at first, but seeing her fall apart during a thunderstorm, and then last night, revealed that even she couldn't totally escape the past. Severus felt a strange sense of relief knowing she wasn't as perfect as he had painted her out to be. She seemed more... human.

Anna wiped away the last of her tears before withdrawing from Severus, "I'm sorry. I seem to always be crying…"

"You don't have to apologize," Severus interjected.

"I'm…" Anna began but stopped herself when she saw the frown on his face. She decided to change the conversation, "About us…"

"You can't tell anyone," Severus spoke before she could continue. His voice came out a lot harsher than he intended. "Please," he begged.

"Does it bother you? That I'm not older?" Anna asked, feeling like she had just been hit by a bludger.

"No, I didn't mean…" Severus hadn't meant to offend her. He sighed, "You're a student and I'm…"

"You're my professor," Anna finished for him.

"Yes," Severus said, "And that complicates things…"

"I promise I won't tell anyone," Anna said taking his hands in hers, "Besides Dumbledore, no one else will know."

Severus embraced her, "Thank you."

"So…um… I suppose I should leave," Anna said as she noticed the clock on the nightstand. She didn't want to go, but if they were to keep their relationship a secret, she should probably try to beat her friends to breakfast, as that way it would appear that she had just gotten up early.

"Anna…" Snape spoke as he watched her stand.

"I'll um… see you tomorrow?" Anna questioned. She would love to come back today, but worried that her being away from the common rooms so long would be suspicious.

"Tomorrow is fine, whenever you can slip away," Snape said as he walked her to the wall where his bedroom door should be. He waved his wand to reveal the door, and together they left his room and entered his office.

Anna walked over to the office entrance, but turned back to look at Severus, "I'll see you tomorrow..."

Severus walked up to her, "Yes." He leaned in, but waited for her lips to meet his, indicating that she accepted his kiss. They kissed passionately for a minute before parting. They both smiled and Anna left the office to head to the Great Hall for Breakfast.

Anna already was beginning to dread the long day ahead and could not wait for tomorrow, when she could see Severus again. She would also have to be extra careful to remember to call him Professor Snape when talking to others and in class.

"_Love is simple. It's the world that complicates things_," was something else her mother used to say, and Anna was just beginning to understand the truth of those words.

"Morning, Miss Snow," a kind, old, familiar voice spoke, dragging Anna out of her thoughts.

"G-Good morning Headmaster," Anna stuttered as she returned his greeting. He smiled at her before continuing his journey down to the dungeons. Anna watched as Dumbledore walked down the stairs, his long, flowing, red robes trailing behind him.

She wondered if he was going to talk to Professor Snape, and suddenly face flushed red from embarrassment. Did he know she had stayed the night? The thought made her heart race. She took a deep breath to calm herself and hurriedly continued her walk to the Great Hall.

Anna was sure Severus wasn't the type to share the details of their time together and she knew Dumbledore wasn't the type to gossip. He would keep their secret; however, she was curious as to why he was going down to the dungeons. Now she had another reason for wishing tomorrow would come sooner as then she could ask Severus if Dumbledore had indeed spoken with him.

* * *

Severus was just about to take a seat at his desk when his door opened.

"How did things go?" Dumbledore asked casually as he entered the young professor's office, closing the door behind him.

"Still meddling I see," Severus grumbled as he sat down at his desk.

"Anna appeared quite peppy this morning," Dumbledore mused as he took a seat in the chair opposite of Snape's desk.

Snape's face flushed red; at first from embarrassment, but then it quickly turned to anger. He stood and slammed his hands down on his desk. "You mustn't tell anyone," he demanded.

"I will not tell a soul," Dumbledore promised, "I am not your enemy, Severus. I only wish to help."

Severus sighed, exasperated, as he returned to his chair, "Fine, just help less." It was hard to stay mad at Dumbledore, especially since if it wasn't for his meddling, he wouldn't have met or fallen in love with Anna Snow.

"I will do my best," Dumbledore assured. He then stood and walked to the door. "You deserve happiness too, Severus," Dumbledore said before leaving Snape's office.

Severus sighed, relieved that the headmaster was gone, and grabbed a stack of papers on his desk. He figured he would get a start on grading some papers before getting breakfast. The papers also kept his mind off Anna, that is, until he got to her paper. Seeing her name made him smile. For the first time in a long time, he was happy.

* * *

Anna felt relieved when she arrived at the Great Hall to see that her friends had not made it to breakfast yet. In fact, the Great Hall was almost empty, except for a few students.

More students began to show up shortly after Anna and just as she finished spreading jam on her toast, Briar arrived at the table.

"You missed classes again," Briar commented as she sat down next to her. He lowered his voice to almost a whisper, "and Moira mentioned you left last night, but she never saw you come back…"

"D-Dumbledore as-asked me to see him," Anna stammered taken off guard. She hadn't expected Moira to tell others.

"All night?" Briar raised an eyebrow.

"No," Anna sighed, "but it was late, everyone was already in the dorms when I got back to the common room."

"Are you alright?" Briar questioned. He wondered what could be so serious that Dumbledore would need to talk to Anna in private so late at night.

"I'm fine," Anna assured Briar, "You and Dumbledore both worry too much."

"Maybe we wouldn't if you didn't disappear so much," Briar grumbled as he took a bite out of his toast.

Anna frowned, but figured it was best to let their conversation end there, and continued to her eat her toast. She glanced up at the head table to see Dumbledore arrive. He winked at her, causing her to blush, and she quickly looked down at her plate. She glanced over at Briar to see him greeting Finley. She sighed, glad he had noticed her.

"Where were you last night?" Ursa piped, causing Anna to jump. She had come out of nowhere.

"I-I was…" Anna struggled to speak.

"Dumbledore asked to see her," Briar answered for Anna.

"What for?" asked Ursa as she took a seat next to Finley, across from Anna and Briar.

"Nothing," Anna mumbled, before taking another bite out of her toast.

Ursa shrugged. She was used to Anna not answering her questions, and moved onto her next topic of discussion, "Are you all going on the Hogsmeade trip next weekend?"

"Yes," Briar and Finley both answered right away.

Anna had totally forgotten about the Hogsmeade trip. It would the last one before the New Year, so she figured she should go and get her Aunt Sansa a gift. It was a little tradition she started when she first came to Hogwarts; she would bring her aunt back something from the magic world, as a thank you for taking her in and caring for her since her escape.

"Yes," Anna finally answered, surprising the others, as she usually stayed behind to study.

"Really?" asked Briar.

"Yes, I should get my Aunt a gift," Anna said.

"It would also be a good time to pick up some dress robes," Ursa said with a grin on her face.

"Dress robes?" Anna questioned.

"You know, the New Year ball," Ursa stood and gave a little twirl.

"Oh that…" Anna had totally forgotten about the ball. She didn't go last year due to still being new to the school and before then, she wasn't a student yet. Anna had private teachers to help her get caught up on the years she missed before coming to Hogwarts.

"Are you going to the ball this year?" Ursa asked Anna. Briar glared at her, but she ignored him.

"I... I don't know…" Anna replied.

Finley and Ursa both gave Briar knowing looks. Briar scowled at them.

"Well, you could always just pick up a dress if you want," Ursa returned her attention to Anna; "it wouldn't hurt." She winked at Briar.

"Or fabric…" Anna murmured as an idea formed in her head. She could get some fabric for her Aunt Sansa as she knew she was a very good seamstress. Anna also just had an idea of possibly making her own gown. Even if she couldn't go with Severus, he would likely still be there as a chaperone. It would be the perfect time for him to see her in something other than robes.

"Are you thinking of going then?" Finley asked, taping Briar's foot with his foot. Briar rolled his eyes. He knew Ursa and Finley would not stop pestering him until he asked Anna out, but he just didn't think it was a good idea, especially when Anna made it so clear so many times she only saw him as a friend.

"Maybe…" Anna answered and then turned her attention to Briar, "Do you mind if I copy your notes from yesterday?"

"N-No," Briar stuttered, "Are you done? We could go to the common room now." He needed an escape from Ursa and Finley.

"Yes, thank you," Anna smiled as she rose to her feet. Briar followed suit. Anna waved to Finley and Ursa before walking off. Briar was about to follow after her, but Finley had stood and grabbed his arm.

"Now's your chance man, ask her," Finley whispered into Briar's ear before gently shoving him off after Anna.

Briar shook his head and caught up to Anna who had stopped to wait for him.

"What was that about?" asked Anna as they continued their walk to the Slytherin common room together.

"Nothing," Briar lied.

They walked the rest of the way to silence. As much as he wanted to ask Anna, he wasn't sure how. He had no reason to believe anyone else would ask her though. As beautiful as Anna was, she kept to herself for the most part.

For now, Briar figured he still had time and he would much rather ask her in a more private location. Next weekend at Hogsmeade would be his best bet, but getting the courage to ask her, was going to be the real challenge.

* * *

As Anna feared, Saturday had dragged on. After getting notes from Briar, she continued to do her homework in an effort to try and make the day go faster, but unfortunately, there was not enough homework to keep her busy.

With her homework finished, Anna turned to reading books, mostly about potions. Since she started learning magic, Anna was drawn to the subject of potions because she hoped to find something to help her remove the scars of her past.

Anna was secretly self-conscious of the scars on her body, especially on her wrists as those were the most noticeable. As hard as she tried to accept the scars, she couldn't help but wish her scars would just disappear. Not only were they a constant reminder of her past, they often got her pity looks, which was the main reason she kept them covered up.

In her search, she found out that many spells if done wrong could leave long term damage, scars, but there wasn't anything for removing scars. One of the first potions she learned was a healing potion, but that only healed fresh injuries. There was also a plant called dittany that if used on a fresh wound could help prevent scarring, so that too was of no use to Anna. She had considered asking Professor Snape a few times, but at first, she was scared of him like most students, and then she shied away from the topic as she worried he would think her vain.

She had considered doing her own experiments using dittany, as she was sure that plant had to be the key for fading old scars, but that again would mean talking to Snape as he would have the ingredients she needed.

After a while, Anna gave up on her search and though it was still early, she decided to call it a night and drew a bath. She undressed and lowered herself into the warm water.

Anna slowly ran her fingers over the various scars on her body. Then her eyes moved to her wrists. There was a red ring-like scar around each wrist; scars from being chained up for so many years. Though they had faded a little over time, it was still easily noticeable to the naked eye. Back home Anna would cover them up with bracelets, but at school, jewelry was a hindrance, so she stuck to long sleeves under her robes.

No longer able to enjoy her bath, Anna quickly washed up and got out. Usually, she could forget about the imperfections, but not tonight. She pulled on her pajamas, grabbed her wand, and crawled into bed.

Anna reached for a book sitting on her nightstand. It wasn't a school book, but it had its own magic, _A Song of Ice and Fire_. However, even rereading the story her father played a role in, couldn't distract her from her scars. She placed the book back on her nightstand and lied down on her bed.

Shadow hopped up onto Anna's pillow and gently head butt her human's face while purring. Anna reached up to pet Shadow's head, the sleeve of her silk green pajamas slightly slid down, revealing the scar on her wrist. Anna, frustrated, buried her face in her pillow. Shadow continued to nudge her affectionately.

"Maybe I should just ask him," Anna mumbled, turning to look at Shadow. Shadow mewed as if she was agreeing with Anna. She hoped Severus wouldn't think she was vain. A part of her felt he would understand, as he probably had scars of his own, but another part of her was still scared that he might think less of her.

* * *

Anna, being as anxious as she was, of course, woke up early the next morning. She thought about sneaking down to visit Severus right away, but knew that wouldn't be very discrete at all and there was the possibility he might not even be up yet. She had to at least eat breakfast with her friends before seeing him.

Being as impatient as she was, she arrived at the Great Hall early and sat down at the table. She had brought her advanced potions book with her, despite having read it over a hundred times; she continued to read it just in case she might have missed something.

Meanwhile, Finley and Briar were just leaving the Slytherin Common room.

"So did you ask her?" Finley asked Briar. He didn't get a chance to talk much with Briar the other day as he had Quidditch practice.

"No," Briar said with a hint of annoyance.

"Come on man," Finley exclaimed, "You didn't ask her the last two years, and she didn't go, so obviously there isn't anyone else…"

"She's made it clear she only sees me as a friend," argued Briar.

"Well… invite her as a friend then," Finley suggested, "her mind might change when she sees you in something other than a uniform."

Briar had never thought of that. He sighed, "Well I was considering asking her next weekend… Why are you and Ursa so…"

"Encouraging?" Finley finished for Briar.

"Annoying," Briar corrected as they arrived at the Great Hall.

"Well, look who's already here?" Finley winked at Briar before he went to join Anna at the Slytherin table.

Briar sighed and followed after Finley.

"Good morning," Finley spoke as he took a seat next to Anna. Briar sat down across from them.

"Morning," Anna greeted them and tucked her potions book back into her bag. "Thanks again for letting me borrow your notes," she said to Briar.

"No problem," Briar mumbled as he filled his plate with eggs and sausage.

"I'm surprised you trust him with notes," Finley commented before biting into a sausage link.

"Hey," Briar was about to rebut, but Anna interjected.

"Briar's actually quite brilliant," said Anna, "he just needs to apply himself more."

"um… thanks… I guess," Briar wasn't sure if Anna had just complimented or insulted him.

"Have you started your homework?" asked Anna.

"No…" Briar answered, proving Anna's point.

"Knowing you, you're probably already done," said Finley with a mouthful of food.

"Not quite," Anna lied. She had finished, but in order to sneak away, she needed them to believe she would be in her room studying. "But I will be soon," She stood to leave just as Ursa arrived.

"What I miss?" Ursa asked taking an empty seat next to Briar.

"Anna was just off to her homework," Finley informed her.

"Well that's nothing new," Ursa said as she began to fill her plate with food. Anna rolled her eyes and gave Briar a wave before leaving the Great Hall and making her way down to the dungeons.

"So did you ask her?" Ursa asked Briar after Anna had left.

"No," Briar muttered before shoving a forkful of food in his mouth.

"He's going to though," said Finley, "while at Hogsmeade."

"I said I was considering it," Briar corrected, "I didn't say I was going to." He stood, "Now if you excuse me, I have homework to do." He then marched out of the Great Hall. He couldn't stand being pestered by Finley and Ursa anymore, and he did have a mountain of homework to get to.

* * *

Anna arrived outside Professor Snape's office and timidly knocked on his door. She was excited to see him, but also anxious. Yesterday still felt like a dream.

The door opened. Severus smiled at her as she entered and she no longer felt nervous. Once he had closed the door, she wrapped her arms around his neck and slowly kissed him.

Severus eagerly returned her kiss and pulled her closer to him. She smelled of _Leucojum_ and frost, like an early spring morning. It was quite arousing.

"I missed you," Anna breathed as their lips finally parted.

"I as well," Severus replied with a smile, "would you like some tea?"

Anna nodded and followed him over to the brown leather sofa. She sat down and reached for a black teacup, but as she reached over, the sleeve of her robe slid down. The cuff of her white shirt had at some point, rolled upwards a little, revealing ever so slightly the scar on her wrist. Instinctively, Anna withdrew her arm and pulled her sleeve cuff back down to cover her wrist

"Does it bother you?" Severus asked after seeing her fumble with her sleeve.

"A little," Anna answered rubbing her wrist and sighed, "a lot…" She couldn't lie to him, "It's actually the reason I originally became so interested in potions… I was hoping…" She looked down at her hands. She couldn't look at him for what she was about to say, "I was hoping there was a potion that could remove them."

"And it never occurred to you to ask?" inquired Severus. He was the potions professor and had been her teacher for a while. He could have easily given her an answer, so he found it surprising that she had never mentioned it before.

"I-I wanted to," Anna stammered. She hadn't meant to offend him. "But I-I was scared of you at first…" She blushed. "And then…well…I didn't want you to think less of me…" her voice faded away and she suddenly felt very small.

Severus stood up and walked over to his wall of potions. Anna looked up as the professor left and watched as he selected a small bottle from his stores, and brought it over.

"I made this for myself," Severus said holding the bottle for her to see, "It doesn't work on all scars, especially deep cuts or cuts due to magic, but can remove most."

"I'm sorry," Anna apologized. "I should have just asked. I don't know why I was so… I just didn't want you to think… it's just when people see the scars… " she rambled on, struggling to explain to him why she had hesitated to ask him in the first place, but also trying not to offend him.

"They feel sorry for you," Severus finished her sentence. He understood very well and did not fault her for wanting to remove her scars.

"Yes," Anna whispered.

"Roll up your sleeves," Severus gently commanded as he pulled the stopper out of the bottle he brought over. Anna did as he said. He took her right hand in his and slowly tilted the bottle so only a couple of drops landed on her wrist. He then did the same for her left wrist.

Anna felt a strange tingling and burning sensation as the liquid seeped into her skin. She bit her lip as she hadn't expected it to sting so much, but it was over quickly and the red-ringed scars around her wrists slowly faded away. After a few minutes passed, it appeared as if they were never there.

"You-You made this?" Anna exclaimed as she examined her wrists.

"Yes," Severus smiled proudly. He put the stopper back in the bottle and set it on the table for now.

"How?" Anna asked turning her attention to him, "I looked through book after book…"

"It's not in a book," Severus interjected, "…But like you, I was desperate to erase the past, so I started experimenting on my own."

"Can you show me how?" Anna asked excitedly leaning in closer to him.

"R-right now?" Severus blushed.

Anna withdrew and covered her mouth in a failed attempt to stifle her giggles. It was the first time Severus had seen Anna laugh, and a smile spread across his face.

"Maybe not now, but I would love to learn how…" Anna spoke once she had regained her composure. "Or are private lessons seen as favoritism?"

"I think we've already crossed that line," Severus reminded her; his face just inches away from hers. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest.

Anna blushed and closed her eyes as his lips brushed hers. Her heart skipped a beat when he drew her in closer, pulling her mouth closer to his. She rested one hand on his neck and ran her other hand through his hair. She had never tasted anything as good, as sweet as him. His scent, a combination of eucalyptus and petrichor, was also intoxicating.

"After class on Tuesday then?" Severus asked with a smile as his lips left hers.

"It's a date," Anna replied before kissing him again. Lust, desire, and passion were all very addicting feelings, especially when you were still very new to them. If it weren't for the need to breathe, Anna could have stayed locked to his lips forever.

"So you were scared of me?" Severus grinned.

Anna blushed, "My first year here and all the other students warned me about…. your temper…" She chose her words carefully, "So naturally, I was a little… intimidated."

"But not enough to confront me," Severus said as he ran his fingers through her long black hair.

"That was different…" said Anna.

"I never did thank you," Severus whispered, looking deep into her brown eyes, "Thank you."

"Oh, that reminds me," Anna exclaimed, and the moment was lost, "I saw Dumbledore heading to your office shortly after I left."

"Dumbledore," Severus grumbled. Even when the headmaster wasn't around, he still managed to interfere. He sighed, "He just wanted to make sure everything was alright between us."

"You don't like him very much do you?" asked Anna.

"It's not that I don't like him," Severus explained, "it's just… he meddles too much."

"True," Anna agreed, "but if it weren't for his meddling, you and I wouldn't have met." She looked longingly into his eyes; her body naturally leaned towards his.

"I suppose I can forgive him this time," Severus whispered before her lips met his. What he would give just to spend all day with her, but the lunch bell chimed, bringing them back to the real world.

"Do we have to eat?" Anna asked. She felt her time with him was too short and it wouldn't be until Tuesday when she could see him again. That meant a whole day of not seeing him, which just sounded dreadful.

"Yes," said Severus as he reached for the bottle of the scar healing potion he used on Anna. "You can have the rest if you would like," Severus offered the bottle to her.

"It's alright," Anna said running her fingers over her wrist. She still couldn't believe the scars were gone, "It's my wrists that bothered me the most. I can live with the others for now…" She smiled, "Besides once you teach me, then I can make my own."

"Very well," said Severus as he stood. He picked up the bottle and put it back on the shelf. Anna stood as well. Though she longed to stay, she knew she had to leave. She grabbed her schoolbag and met Severus in the middle of his office.

"I'll see you Tuesday," he promised, resting his hands on her shoulders. He understood that this was hard as he hated to see her leave too, but for now, their relationship had to remain a secret, so they had to make do with what little time they had together.

"I love you," Anna whispered looking lovingly into his eyes. She tenderly rested her hands on his shoulders.

"I love you too," whispered Severus before he kissed her. He could feel her fingers tense, sending waves of warmth through his body. He yearned for her, and that feeling only increased when their lips parted. Anna smiled at him, causing his heart to skip a beat, before disappearing behind the door.

Severus made his way back to the sofa. He could still smell the sweet scent of _leucojum_ and frost.


	7. A Trip to Hogsmeade

**Chapter 7**

"Is that all you're bringing," Briar asked as he walked up to Anna, noticing she had only a small velvet green bag with her. They had agreed to meet in the common room first, before heading to the castle entrance to travel with the rest of the students going to Hogsmeade.

"It has an Undetectable Extension Charm cast on it," Anna explained, "I should be able to fit everything in it."

"Cool," Briar said, "You ready?"

"Yes," Anna smiled and together they made their way to the castle gates. The head of each house was there checking off students to make sure only those who had permission were going on the trip. Anna did her best to act like a normal student when they walked by Professor Snape, but just seeing him, caused her heart to skip a beat.

"Mister Falcin, Miss Snow," Professor Snape acknowledged them and checked them off his list. A slight smile had formed on his face when he had addressed Anna.

"Good morning professor," Anna smiled before walking off with Briar.

This past week had been amazing, probably the best week she had ever had. Severus had even taught her how to do some more advanced potions, including his scar removing potion, and a couple that weren't even in her books.

"What do you want to do first?" Briar asked as they walked to Hogsmeade.

"I want to look at some fabric for my aunt," Anna replied, "but we can meet up for lunch if you like? The Three Broomsticks?"

"Sure," Briar said. He was already beginning to feel nervous. He thought it would be easier to ask her to the ball away from the castle, but now, he wasn't so sure.

Once in Hogsmeade, they parted ways. Anna went into a fabric shop and Briar met with up Finley at Honeydukes Sweetshop.

"Have you asked her yet?" asked Finley.

"No," Briar grumbled, "Where is Ursa?"

"Dress shopping," Finley quickly answered before pestering Briar again, "Are you going to ask her?"

"Leave it Fin," Briar snapped. The thought of asking her was stressful enough. He didn't need the added pressure.

"Sorry," Finley apologized, "but if you don't, mind if I do?"

"You wouldn't," Briar challenged.

"Why not? She's pretty."

"You don't even like her!" Briar argued.

"Who said you had to like someone to dance with them?" Finley smirked.

Briar sighed, "I see what you're doing…"

"You want to ask her," said Finley, "It's so obvious, just do it. Even if it's just as friends, that's better than having her go with someone else right?"

"You think someone else will ask?" Briar panicked.

Finley shrugged, "I don't know for certain, but I know a lot of guys find her attractive."

"What if she says no?" Briar's voice was barely audible.

"You won't know until you ask," Finley comforted, "but Ursa and I think she would say yes."

"Thanks," Briar said feeling slightly better.

"Anytime," Finley said, "Now help me decide what sweets I should get."

* * *

Anna found shopping for fabric to be a lot quicker than she anticipated. Since her aunt only wore black, that narrowed down her choices pretty quick. She ended up choosing a fabric that had a permanent shield charm cast on it. She hoped her aunt would never have to use it, but wanted something with a magical touch.

As for her, Anna ended up selecting a flowy material in emerald green. Her mother had taught her to sew a little when she was younger, but it had been years since she held a needle. Anna hoped she would be able to remember or if not, there was always magic to fall back on.

It was still early, but Anna decided to head to the Three Broomsticks as she didn't need anything else. When she arrived, she was surprised to see that Briar was already there.

"You're early," Anna greeted him.

"So are you," Briar replied as she took a seat across from him. A server came over and offered them a couple of butterbeers, which they accepted and then left.

"Anna," Briar was about to ask her to the ball, but suddenly felt very nervous.

"What is it?" Anna asked, sensing he wanted to tell her something.

"I erm.. was wondering," Briar fought to get the words out, "would you - would you like to go the ball to-together?" After seeing Anna's shocked expression, he quickly added, "Just as friends."

Anna didn't respond right away as she was caught off guard; though a part of her knew he might have liked her as more than just a friend. She had shoved those thoughts to the side, as if she hoped it wasn't true and would just go away, but now she couldn't ignore his feelings anymore.

Anna, of course, loved Briar, but it was now clear that it was not in the same way he loved her. She didn't want to hurt Briar by telling him no, but was also afraid saying yes would give him the wrong idea.

She finally nodded to indicate yes and then added, "Just as friends though."

Briar felt a strange sense of relief and disappointment at the same time. She had agreed to go with him, but only as friends. It was a start though and maybe he could change her mind at the ball.

"Just as friends," he promised, lifting his mug of butterbeer. Anna did the same and they both took a sip.

"There you two are!" Ursa exclaimed as she and Finley joined them at their table. "Did you get what you needed?" She asked Anna.

Anna just nodded, secretly thankful that the annoying duo had decided to crash in on them at that moment. Their presence helped dissipate the awkwardness between her and Briar.

* * *

Things remained a little awkward between Briar and Anna for the rest of the day. It didn't help that Finley and Ursa found out and started making a fuss, so that by the time they go to the castle, half of the castle knew Briar and Anna were going to the dance together.

Also, there was Severus to consider. Briar had totally blindsided her, that she didn't have a chance to fully think her answer through. She knew she couldn't go to the dance with Severus, but she wasn't sure if he would like it very much if she went with someone else.

However, there wouldn't be any time to see him as Anna had prefect duties and knew if she skipped out on them, Moira would be peeved. She had already missed a few nights and she was hoping to make up for it tonight, so Anna reluctantly showed up for her patrol shift. However, all she could think about was Severus as she paced the dungeon corridors.

She knew by the time she was done with patrol duty, it would be too late, but she couldn't wait till morning to talk to Severus. She feared he would find out before she could talk to him, or worse, he already knew. Anna, having made her decision, abandoned her assigned hallways and headed to Professor Snape's office.

She was about to knock on his door, but hesitated, what if he was already asleep? Anna sighed; maybe she should just wait until morning. Just as she was about to return to her patrol duties, Severus came walking towards her. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Miss Snow, is something wrong?" Professor Snape asked, looking around to make sure no one was lurking.

"I-" Anna began to speak as the professor opened his office door.

"Go ahead," he whispered, gently nudging her towards his office. Anna got the message, and quickly entered. "I'll meet you in a bit," he whispered before the door closed.

A few minutes passed and the door opened once more. Severus entered. He placed a strong locking spell on the door.

"Sorry, I-I know it's late, but I…" Anna was more anxious then she thought.

"Not here, my room," Severus interrupted her as he waved his wand to reveal the door to his private quarters. Anna followed him into his room. The door disappeared behind her, leaving only a blank wall.

"Now, what's wrong?" He asked as they sat down on his bed.

"Nothing's wrong," Anna corrected. "Well, I don't think… but I wanted to tell you before you heard it from someone else. It's about the New Year ball… I erm… kind of agreed to go with Briar..." Anna mumbled and quickly added, "But only as a friend!" when she saw his sullen expression.

"Kind of agreed?" Severus raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you like him?"

Anna could hear the jealousy in his voice and originally was nervous about telling him, but now she was starting to feel a little upset because it sounded like he didn't trust her.

"He's my friend," Anna answered firmly, "I only see him as a friend."

"Why did you say yes?"

"He caught me off guard," Anna stood in her frustration, "I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I made it clear that I would go with him as a friend…" The anger boiled within her and she lost control of it, "I would much rather go with you!" Anna covered her mouth with her hands, shocked at herself for being so harsh. She hadn't meant to yell at him. She hadn't realized how much she hated that their relationship had to be a secret until that moment.

"Anna," Severus spoke tenderly as rose to his feet, understanding she hadn't meant to be so rash.

"I'm sorry, I…" Anna felt tears well up in her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him, but at the same time, she felt he was being unfair.

"No, I'm sorry," Severus apologized as he embraced her, "I just… I know… he likes you. I've seen the way he looks at you."

"But that doesn't mean I like him," said Anna as she withdrew from him. She looked up into his eyes, "Do you not trust me?"

"I trust you," Severus replied softly, "It's him I don't…"

"Briar's my best friend. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me," Anna responded with certainty. She had been friends with Briar for over a year now and even if he did have romantic feelings towards her, she knew he wouldn't pressure her.

"People do crazy things when they're in love," Severus replied, unconvinced.

"Uncle Bran had said something similar," Anna sighed, "I would go with you if I could."

"I know… but that doesn't mean I'm not jealous," he admitted, averting his eyes from her.

"Well, I would be a little concerned if you weren't," Anna smiled, pressing her body against his. Though his jealousy frustrated her, it was also endearing.

"I love you," Severus whispered, his lips lingered above hers.

"I love you too," Anna breathed and closed her eyes as his lips met hers.

"It's late," murmured Severus.

"Can I stay?" Anna asked with pleading eyes. She hadn't seen him all day due to the Hogsmeade trip and it was already late. Moira had gone to bed soon after giving Anna her instructions, probably glad to finally have a night off, so by the time Anna was supposed to be done patrolling, everyone else should have been in bed too.

The teacher in him wanted to say no, but his heart couldn't resist her wide brown eyes. "Alright," he sighed.

Anna embraced him. Severus smiled and returned her hug; he didn't regret his decision.


	8. Snow in Winterfell

**Chapter 8: Snow in Winterfell**

Over a week had passed since the Hogsmeade trip and there were only a few more days before the holidays. Most students went home over the break. Anna had considered staying at Hogwarts as it would mean more time with Severus as there were no classes and fewer students, but she had a gift to give her aunt and a dress to make.

Plus, a raven arrived at breakfast from her aunt requesting her to return home over the holidays, so staying behind was no longer even an option. Anna couldn't help but feel a little disappointed though as that also meant two weeks of not seeing Severus.

"Are you going home for the break?" Briar asked as he sat down next to Anna at the Slytherin table.

"Yes," Anna answered as she folded up the letter she had received from her aunt.

She was glad that things had returned to normal between them. She wasn't, however, so thrilled that the whole school seemed to think they were a couple. Even Moira, who usually removed herself from gossip, had asked Anna about it one night when assigning her patrol duties. Luckily, Moira was a little more empathetic than others when Anna explained that they were just friends.

Severus also seemed a little on edge whenever she saw him. She understood he was jealous, but he was terrible at hiding it. It was cute at first, but then it got annoying. She, of course, couldn't tell him how to feel as he had every right to his feelings, so that only added to her frustration. Luckily, she discovered that potion making was a good distraction for both of them, so they had a lot more private potions lessons that week.

"Only three more days to go!" Finley announced as he and Ursa joined Anna and Briar at the table.

"You guys going home too?" Briar asked.

"Yup," said Finley.

"I'm going to do some studying," Anna said and waved at her friends before leaving the table. It was a lie as she was really going to Professor Snape's office. Students had the rest of the week off in order to prepare to visit their families, which allowed Anna a little more time to see Severus before she had to leave for Winterfell.

"Good morning," Severus smiled as he opened the door for Anna.

"Morning," Anna smiled back and he closed the door. She kissed him once the door was shut.

"So about the holidays…" Anna spoke as they walked over to a cauldron that was set up on a table in the middle of the room. There was an open book next to it along with several different sized bottles.

"Are you going home?" asked Severus.

"Yes," Anna said, "My aunt actually requested I return home."

"Any reason?" inquired Severus as he began to add some ingredients to the cauldron.

"She didn't say," Anna answered, "but it didn't sound concerning…"

"I guess I'll see when you return then," Severus spoke quietly.

"I can write to you," Anna offered, "if that's okay…"

"Just don't mention any names," Severus cautioned. Though it wasn't likely, he didn't want to risk her letters getting into the wrong hands. He knew her handwriting well, so he would know it was from her even if there was no name. Plus, he didn't get mail very often.

"I won't," Anna smiled. She was glad there was still a way for them to stay in contact over the break. She would offer for him to visit her, but she hadn't even told her family about him and wasn't sure Severus was ready for anyone to know. He would probably think it was too risky. She decided it was best not to mention it, especially since he was already struggling to accept her going to the dance with Briar.

"About the dance…"

Anna frowned, "We're going as friends, just friends." She angrily added a couple of drops of essence of comfrey.

"I was just going to ask if you wanted to meet here, after the dance," Severus sighed. He knew he hadn't been the best about accepting her going to the dance with Briar, but this time he was only bringing it up because he wanted to see her when she got back.

The students returned to the castle on the first day of the New Year, and then there was the New Year Ball, so the only time to see her when she returned would be after the ball.

"Isn't that a little too risky? A lot of students will be around that night…" asked Anna.

"You're a prefect," Severus reminded her and grinned, "You'll be on night watch."

"I'm not a very good prefect," Anna smirked, draping her arms around his neck.

"No," Severus smiled before her soft, sweet lips met his. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. He was going to miss her over the holiday, and it showed in his passionate, devouring kiss.

* * *

Anna had just returned to Winterfell and she was already missing Hogwarts and Severus. She sighed as she exited the carriage. This was going to be a long two weeks. Her aunt, all clad in black, and looking as regal as ever, walked out to meet her.

"Welcome home," Queen Sansa smiled as she hugged her niece. Anna returned her hug. She had missed her aunt.

"I have a gift for you," Anna said once inside the castle. She opened her small, green shoulder bag, and pulled out a large roll of beautiful black fabric.

"It's got a shield charm on it, so it will protect you from harm," Anna explained, "I hope you never have to use it for that purpose, but it's still beautiful material and I wanted to get you something with a little bit of magic."

"How did you…" Queen Sansa was about to ask how she was able to fit something so big in something so small, but figured it had something to do with magic. "Never mind, that doesn't matter. It's lovely and very thoughtful. Thank you," She smiled and had one of her handmaids take the fabric from Anna.

"You had a long trip, you should get some rest," Queen Sansa said and Anna's handmaid, Kira, appeared, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Anna had hoped to ask her aunt about the letter, but she also didn't want to argue with the Queen of the North, so she just nodded her head. She proceeded to follow Kira to her room, where Shadow was of course, already curled up on her bed.

"Should I draw you a bath Lady Anna?" asked Kira.

"Yes, thank you," Anna smiled. Kira nodded and left to get a bath ready. Anna took a seat at her desk and began to write a letter to Severus.

* * *

The next morning Anna met her Aunt Sansa for breakfast.

"I wanted to ask," Anna began, "if I may, why did you want me to return home?"

"King Bran will be arriving tomorrow," Sansa explained, "He wanted to see you."

"Wh-Why?" Anna asked nervously.

"I don't think it's anything concerning," Sansa smiled.

Anna felt a little better, but still anxiously picked at the food on her plate. She had been so caught up with school and her new relationship, she hadn't thought any more about what she was going to do after Hogwarts. All she knew for sure was that she wanted to stay with Severus, and that probably meant her home wouldn't be in Winterfell or Kings Landing, which she feared might disappoint her aunt and uncle.

Anna didn't even know she had family south of the wall until Dumbledore had saved her, but they both had been so kind to her. She had grown to love them, so whether it made sense or not, she still sought their approval.

"May I be excused?" Anna asked as she stood. She had lost her appetite.

"Anna," Sansa spoke with power, causing Anna to meet her eyes, "We will support you no matter what you decide." Her voice softened, "After what you have been through… your future is yours."

"Thank you," Anna said and walked over to hug her aunt.

"I'll see you at supper," Queen Sansa smiled. Anna nodded and went back to her room. She decided now would be a good time to start making her gown for the New Year Ball.

* * *

A few days had passed since most of the students left the castle.

Dumbledore was at his desk when he noticed his door open. Severus walked in and up to his desk. There was a sour expression on his face.

"Evening Severus," Dumbledore greeted him.

"Evening Dumbledore," Severus answered coolly.

"How are things between you and Miss Snow?" Dumbledore asked casually.

"Fine."

"I see," Dumbledore had expected as much, but was hoping Severus would open up to him more, "I heard Mister Falcin is taking Miss Snow to the New Year Ball."

"They're just friends," Severus stated firmly, but his insecurities showed.

"You have heard the rumors just as much as I have," said Dumbledore.

"Since when you have taken an interest in student gossip?" snarled Snape.

"Since one of those students has started seeing her professor," Dumbledore replied, "You two have done well keeping your relationship a secret by the way. No one suspects a thing, though Moira has complained about Anna's prefect duties or lack of…"

"Get to the point," snapped Severus.

"Mister Falcin clearly likes Miss Snow," replied Dumbledore and by the jealous look on Severus's face, the professor already knew that to be true. Dumbledore continued, "And they're going to the dance together."

"She said…"

"They're just friends," Dumbledore finished for Severus, "Yes, well, it's clear she only has eyes for you."

His words had caused the young professor's face to redden.

Dumbledore smiled, "Oh come now, Severus. I've seen the way you two look at each other, your secret smiles... Anyone who knows to look would see it too." Dumbledore sighed, "But it's not your heart I'm worried about, it's hers."

"Sir?"

"Mister Falcin and Miss Snow have been friends for a while time now. Tell me, what do you think will happen should Mister Falcin decide to confess and Miss Snow doesn't return his feelings?"

Severus had been so concerned about Briar taking Anna for him and even though she had said they were just friends, he continued to have doubts. He was so caught up in his feelings, in his fear of losing her that he never once thought to ask Anna what she would do if Briar should confess his feelings to her. Dumbledore helped made him realize just how selfish he had been and he felt as if he had been hit by a bludger.

"She's going to lose a friend," Severus mumbled.

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said, "We don't know, but if it should come to that. She's going to need you, Severus."

Severus just nodded.

"You've been alone far too long Severus," Dumbledore spoke with kindness, "It's nice to see you care about someone else."

"Not enough, apparently," Severus muttered. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"Jealousy can blind us," Dumbledore commented, "Don't beat yourself up over it." Dumbledore stood, "Now it's late, we both should get some rest. Goodnight Severus."

"Goodnight Dumbledore," Snape replied before leaving the headmaster's office. He still felt terrible, but he would have to wait another week before he could apologize to Anna. This was something he wanted to do in person and not through a letter.

* * *

Back in Winterfell, King Bran had arrived, but requested to speak to Queen Sansa first before meeting Anna. Anna spent the morning in her room nervously sewing her dress.

It wasn't till later that afternoon, Kira finally arrived to retrieve Anna, "King Bran and Queen Sansa are ready for you."

Anna hurriedly finished up her current stitch on the dress she was working on, pricking her finger in the process. She stuck her finger in her mouth and set her work down on her bed. She then hurried down to the great hall to meet her aunt and uncle. She was anxious as she had a feeling they were talking about her all morning, which also made her eager to see them as she wanted to know what was so important that her uncle would travel so far to see her.

"Lady Anna," King Bran greeted her as she arrived. The hall was completely empty except for the three of them.

"Uncle," She smiled hugging him. Though she had only met him a couple of times before, he was one of the nicest people she knew and had grown fond of him. He was an excellent ruler.

"Why don't you sit down," Queen Sansa offered, motioning to the chair across from her. King Bran took a spot at the head of the table, between them.

Anna nervously sat down, "Did I do something wrong?" She felt like a child who was about to be reprimanded for forgetting to feed the horses.

"No, not at all," Queen Sansa assured her, "We're just worried about you."

"Worried about me?" asked Anna.

"I've been watching you," Bran said, "Just to make sure you're doing alright, and I noticed that you have developed a relationship with one of your professors."

Anna blushed, feeling embarrassed and then anxious. She had known Bran was the Three-Eyed Raven, but she had never even considered that he would use his powers on her.

"I did some digging into his past," Bran continued, "Quite curious that you two should end up together."

"Do-Do you not approve?" Anna timidly asked.

"Your future is yours," Queen Sansa affirmed, "We won't interfere."

"But I fear for you," Bran said, making eye contact with Anna, "We can protect you in our world, but in his world…"

"His world?" Anna questioned.

"The magical world," explained Queen Sansa.

"I can't see the future," continued Bran, "But from what I could see of the past, and even now there are those in the magic world who wish to keep their world _pure_."

"So you don't approve?" Anna asked. She felt angry, sad, and scared all at the same time.

"No, that's not..." Sansa sighed, "We just fear for your safety. You're the first witch in our family."

"I-I need to be alone," Anna stood. Her head was spinning.

Sansa and Bran looked at each other and nodded. They hadn't meant to upset Anna, but could tell that she seemed a little distressed and decided it was a good idea to give her a little time to be alone to think about what they had just told her.

"I'll check on you in a bit," Sansa said before Anna left them.

Anna slammed the door behind her as she entered her room. She wanted to flop down on her bed and scream, but noticed the gown she had been working on. The anger she felt dissipated into sadness. She picked up her work in progress and sat down on her bed. She mindlessly began to sew as she organized the thoughts in her heads.

One, her aunt and uncle knew about her relationship with Severus. Anna wasn't sure how Severus would feel about that. However, she was sure that her aunt and uncle wouldn't tell anyone.

Two, though Queen Sansa and King Bran didn't necessarily disapprove of her relationship, it seemed they didn't approve either because they felt it was dangerous. She was muggle-born and while most were okay with that in the magical world, she knew there were a few that didn't approve. It was ironic that she would get sorted into Slytherin, a house known for purebloods, so Anna sometimes wondered if there was a history of magic in her family, a secret wizard or witch that no one knew about.

Three, she loved Severus.

A couple of teardrops landed on her hands. She wiped them away and continued sewing as she didn't know what else to do.

A little while later there was a knock at her door and Queen Sansa entered her room, closing the door behind her.

"I didn't know you sewed," Queen Sansa said as she took a seat in a chair next to Anna's bed.

"I'm not very good," Anna confessed.

"Do you mind?" Sansa asked offering her arms to take the emerald green fabric from Anna.

Anna, without hesitation, handed her aunt her work in progress. She knew Queen Sansa to be an excellent seamstress and she knew she could use all the help she could get.

"This is beautiful fabric," Sansa said running her hands over the flowy material. "Not bad for your first try," she said as she looked over Anna's work, "Did your mother teach you?"

"A little, before…" Anna fell silent. It still hurt to think about her parents.

"I can help you if you'd like," Sansa offered. She knew what it was like to not have a mother, but unlike Anna, she had been older and was able to learn sewing from her mother before she died.

"Yes, please," Anna said as she grabbed another needle and moved closer. Her aunt helped her get started and they worked together to create Anna's emerald green ball gown.

"May I ask why you are making such an extravagant gown?" asked Sansa.

"It's for the New Year Ball," explained Anna, "the school hosts a ball to celebrate the New Year."

"Are you going with…"

"No, our relationship is a secret due to him being a professor, but my friend, Briar, asked me to go with him," Anna sighed. That was another complication, and not one she really wanted to think about right now, and chose to keep the focus on Severus, "You won't tell anyone about us will you?"

"No, nor will Bran," Queen Sansa assured her. She continued to sew and Anna watched in silence for a little bit, before mustering up the courage to speak.

"Aunt Sansa," Anna said to grab her attention, "Do you and Uncle Bran not like Severus?"

"I haven't met him nor has Bran for that matter," Sansa answered, "But from what Bran has seen and told me, he seems like a good man, a good match for you."

Anna looked at her confused. She had gotten the vibe that they weren't okay with her relationship with Severus, but now it sounded different.

"I know this must be confusing," Sansa said, "It's not so much we have a problem with him, it's the magic."

"You encouraged me…"

"To learn magic, yes," Sansa finished Anna's sentence, "but the idea was you would either live here with me or in King's Landing with Bran after you graduated. Instead, it seems you have found an alternative."

"I…" Anna opened her mouth, but she wasn't sure what to say. It was true; Winterfell nor King's Landing felt like home to her. Hogwarts was close, but she truly felt at home when she was with Severus, wherever that may end up being and she had a feeling it wouldn't be in Winterfell or King's Landing.

"You love him," Sansa spoke as if it was the truth. There was no questioning in her voice.

"Yes," Anna confirmed, "very much."

"I can tell. So can Bran," she smiled. They continued to work on Anna's dress.

Anna had never felt so close to her Aunt Sansa as she did now. Queen Sansa couldn't replace her mother, nor did she ever try, but she was very much a mother figure to Anna. It was kind of a relief that her aunt knew about Severus, it gave her someone other than Dumbledore to turn to for relationship advice.

"Aunt Sansa," Anna spoke, breaking the silence. She took a deep breath, gathered up her courage, and asked: "Have you ever been with anyone after…"

"No," Sansa spoke before Anna could say Ramsey's name, "Have you and…"

"No," Anna blushed, "We tried, but I…" She stopped sewing.

"I can still feel what he did to me to this very day," said Sansa. She understood Anna's fear all too well. Both of them had been raped and abused by horrible men. "But I'd like to believe it would be totally different with someone who truly cares about you," She added.

"That's what I thought… but… when he was leaning over me…" Anna's face reddened more as she realized she was talking to Queen Sansa about her intimate relationship with Severus. Feeling embarrassed, she quickly added, "Never mind. Forget I said anything…"

"Have you tried being the one in control?" Sansa suggested. She could tell her niece was embarrassed, but she didn't mind and felt Anna could use a woman's advice.

Anna shook her head as she continued to sew. She couldn't believe she was talking to the Queen of the North about such an intimate topic.

"The dress is for him isn't it?" Sansa grinned trying to break Anna out of her shell, "We'll have to make it easy for him to take off."

"Aunt Sansa!" Anna exclaimed, badly pricking her finger in the process, and her face turned a bright shade vermillion.

Sansa couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "Here," She spoke offering a bandage for Anna's pricked finger.

Anna allowed her aunt to wrap her finger. She was still embarrassed, but felt a lot better after talking to her aunt.

"Thank you," Anna said as her aunt finished bandaging her finger.

"You can always come to me for advice," Queen Sansa smiled, "Now if we're to have this done before you return to school, we better get to sewing."

Anna smiled and together they continued to work on her dress.

They would continue to work on Anna's gown over the next few days. Anna doing most of the work as her aunt had other duties, but when Queen Sansa had free time, she would help her.

Her Uncle Bran would often sit with them as well and they would make small talk. Anna still couldn't believe he made the long trip to Winterfell just to see her. He could have had Queen Sansa give her the information, but it turned out he felt best he told her in person and there was one other important thing he wanted to talk to her about.

"Did your father ever tell you who he really was?" King Bran asked, interrupting Sansa and Anna's sewing. It was his last day in Winterfell and he could no longer put off this discussion.

"What do you mean?" Anna asked setting her sewing needle down. Queen Sansa took the dress they were working on and laid it down on a table in Anna's room.

"His real name," said King Bran. Anna's confused expression answered his question, so he continued, "Your father's real name is Aegon Targaryen. You were named after our aunt, his mother, your grandmother, Lyanna Stark."

Anna had read "_A Song of Fire and Ice_" many times and she was certain Daenerys Targaryen was the last Targaryen. Yet, she knew Bran wouldn't lie.

"It's not something your father wanted many to know," Queen Sansa explained as she returned to her chair.

"Why-Why are you telling me this now?" Anna asked. She had gone her whole life being Anna Snow. The daughter of a bastard and wildling, and now they were telling her she's actually a Targaryen?

"We wanted to tell you for a while, but the timing just never seemed right," Queen Sansa sighed, "Now, with your new relationship, we felt it may impact your decision."

"H-How?"

"When my time comes to step down," answered Bran, "You may be a good candidate to take the throne."

"No one's going to want a Targaryen, not after Daenerys," Anna argued.

"No one knows you're a Targaryen, except us and Maester Tarly," Bran said, "You are the only one that may be able to control Drogon should we find him."

"And you have Stark blood," Queen Sansa added.

"You-you not only want me to ride a dragon, you-you want me to rule," Anna stammered.

"Potentially," replied Bran, "The council would still have to vote."

"We're talking years from now," Sansa tried to comfort her, "But it's something you should possibly consider."

"This is just too much," Anna said, "I'm not royalty, I'm just Anna, Anna Snow."

"We understand," Bran said, "More than anyone. Sansa and I never asked to rule." Bran paused to allow Anna to soak in what he has just said, and then continued speaking, "It'll ultimately be your choice in the end. Your future is yours."

"And what exactly does this have to do with Severus?" asked Anna, unsure how her relationship with Severus played a role in this sudden burst of information.

"He may not want to be a part of your world," Bran replied. Anna's heart stopped for a moment. She would go wherever Severus would go, but would he do the same? If Anna's destiny was to rule the six kingdoms, would he want that responsibility too?

"But he may," Sansa quickly added and decided a change in topic was needed, "Now let's continue working on your gown. I'll show you how to embroider." She stood to retrieve the dress from the table.

Anna only nodded and watched as Sansa grabbed some silver thread. Her mind was racing and the person she wanted to talk to the most, she wouldn't see for another week. Anna watched her aunt as she thread her sewing needle in and out, only half-listening as Sansa explained how to embroider.

Anna felt like she was walking in a daze for the rest of the day. It wasn't till the next morning when they had to say goodbye to Bran, that she finally was able to accept what they had told her. As shocking as the information was, she had come to realize she would rather know now instead of finding out later. If her relationship with Severus were to end, as much as it hurt, it would be better to end it sooner rather than later.

"Uncle Bran," Anna spoke as Bran was getting ready to leave Winterfell, "Thank you, for telling me." She hugged him, "I'll miss you."

"We'll see each other again," Uncle Bran smiled and then it was Sansa's turn to say goodbye to her little brother.

"Shall we get to work on your gown then?" Queen Sansa asked after King Bran's carriage had disappeared behind the gates of Winterfell.

Anna nodded and together they went back to the castle to work on her gown. They only a week left to finish it and Anna found sewing to be a good way to pass the days as well as keep her mind off of Severus and her newfound identity as a Targaryen.

At the end of the week, the result of their hard work was a gorgeous emerald gown with long hanging sleeves, which were bordered with silver vines. The bottom of the dress was also bordered with silver vines. Her aunt, true to her word, had made the gown easy to remove by simply untying the lacing in the back. Anna was still embarrassed that her aunt would even consider the ease of undressing, but at the same time, pleased with how the gown had turned out. Together they folded it up carefully and packed it into her trunk.

"Write more," Queen Sansa requested as a servant carried her trunk down to the carriage that had arrived to take her back to Hogwarts.

"I will try," Anna replied, not wanting to make any promises as she had told Severus she would write him, but in the end only sent one letter. She never even responded to the one he had sent her. She had tried a few times, but there was so much she wanted to say that couldn't be said on paper, so the paper remained blank. Anna hoped he would understand once she saw him in person and could explain everything she had learned from her uncle and aunt.

"The carriage is ready my lady," announced Kira.

"I'll miss you," Anna hugged her aunt.

"I'll miss you too," Queen Sansa smiled.

Together, they walked out to the carriage. Just as Anna was about to board the carriage to Hogwarts, her aunt whispered in her ear, "I hope he likes the _dress_." Anna, understanding what her aunt was insinuating, blushed as she entered the carriage. Soon she would be back at Hogwarts.


	9. A New Year

**Chapter 9: A New Year**

Anna knew she had originally told Severus she would meet him after the dance, but all she could think about was him on her ride back to Hogwarts. Even when she had slept, he was all she could dream about. Her head was spinning. Yet she found it harder and harder to sneak away. The common room was crowded as everyone was trying to catch up with friends.

"Anna, there you are!" Briar exclaimed as he spotted her exiting the girl's dormitory.

"Hi Briar," Anna smiled weakly. She had hoped to slip out, but of course, Briar would be looking for her.

"How was your break?" He asked.

"It was…long…" Anna sighed, "About tonight Briar…"

"We can meet here and walk down together," Briar suggested before Anna could finish talking.

Anna didn't appreciate him interrupting her but let it go, "Yes." She wanted to remind him that they were just going as friends, but decided it wasn't worth the effort and Severus was her first priority right now.

"I'll see you tonight okay?"

"Wait, where are you going?" Briar asked before Anna could slip away.

"I just need some fresh air," Anna lied and left the common room. She hurriedly made her way down the corridor, looking behind her to make sure Briar wasn't following her.

Once she was sure no one was around, she cast an invisibility charm on herself. She had to be extra cautious today as the school was abuzz with students returning from break and getting ready for the New Year Ball.

Anna quickly made her way to Professor Snape's office. Luckily, most students avoided the potions dungeon as many disliked Professor Snape. Anna knocked on his door, hoping he would be available. She held her breath as she waited for the door to open, and when it did, she quickly entered and removed her invisibility spell.

"Anna, what are you?" Severus stuttered and quickly cast a locking spell on his door. He hadn't expected to see her until tonight.

"I couldn't wait," Anna said as tears formed in the corners of her eyes, "I-I missed you."

Severus embraced her, "I missed you too."

"I'm sorry I didn't respond to your letter," Anna apologized, "So much happened and I wanted to tell you, but I didn't think it was safe to write it down."

"Maybe we should sit down?" Severus suggested. Anna nodded and followed him over to the sofa.

"Now what's going on?" asked Severus once they were sitting.

"King Bran and Queen Sansa know about us," Anna decided to start small and work her way up to the bigger news. "But I didn't tell them," she panicked, "Uncle Bran used his sight on me… I'm sorry…"

Severus sighed, "It's not your fault."

He had wanted to keep their relationship private, but he figured her family was far enough removed from Hogwarts, from the magical world, that their secret was safe. HE also had a feeling that the Queen of the North and King of the Six Kingdoms weren't ones to start rumors.

"There's one other thing," Anna began nervously, "but it's kind of huge and you have to promise not to tell anyone."

"Anna…"

"You have to promise," Anna spoke firmly. She loved him and trusted him with her life, but she needed to hear the words from his lips. She had come to learn that a spoken promise had more meaning and was even harder to break than a nonverbal one.

Severus looked her in the eyes. "I promise," he said.

Anna took a deep breath, but it didn't help as much as she hoped.

"Uncle Bran wants me to take his place when the time comes, or at least he wants to me consider it as the council would still have to vote on it," She paused, "Apparently my father's birth name was Aegon Targaryen. Uncle Bran believes because I have Targaryen blood, I have the power to control dragons. I also have Stark blood, so there's that too… But we're talking years from now…"

"Do you want to rule?" Severus asked, still trying to process the information and what this would mean for their relationship.

"I…," Anna began, but even she wasn't sure anymore. At first, her initial reaction had been no, but after having a week to dwell on it, she wasn't sure she could turn down the role, despite having zero interest in power, if that was what her uncle and his council wanted, unless… "Not if it means losing you."

It wasn't a very clear answer, but it was the only thing she knew to be true. She could feel tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She loved him and nothing, not even the title of Queen of the Six Kingdoms, could tempt her away from him.

Severus affectionately tilted her chin up so her eyes met his. "You will never lose me," he promised as he moved closer, his lips lingering above hers. A tear trickled down Anna's cheek as she accepted his kiss.

"Are they okay with us?" asked Severus once the moment passed.

"Yes, they just worry," Anna replied, "they don't think I'm safe in this world…"

"The Death Eaters are long gone," Severus assured her, "There has been no activity from them in years."

"Uncle Bran worries they will come back," Anna explained, "and after what happened to you…"

"I won't let anyone hurt you," he promised with such fierceness that it caused Anna's face to flush a lovely shade of rose.

"Severus…"

"You should get going," he said as he noticed the time, "I'll see you tonight."

Anna sighed. She didn't really feel like going to the dance, but knew she made a commitment to Briar, so she reluctantly stood. Severus walked her to the door.

"I love you," Anna said as she leaned into him.

"I love you too," Severus replied as his lips brushed hers.

Anna kissed him in a way she hadn't ever done before. Severus could feel his heart racing. He wanted to devour her, but just as things started to heat up, she pulled away, leaving him wanting more.

"Tonight," Anna whispered. There was a longing in her voice.

Anna cast an invisibility spell on herself before undoing his spell and walking out the door, leaving Severus bemused.

* * *

Back in her room, Anna had replaced her school uniform with the emerald green ball gown her aunt had helped her create. Most of her hair had been pinned up into a neat bun, except for a couple of strands that romantically fell on either side of her face. She looked over herself in her bathroom mirror on more time, finally satisfied with how she looked, she took a deep breath and walked out of her room.

Briar was already waiting for her in the common room. When he saw her, his heart stopped. He had never seen Anna looking so elegant. It took his breath away.

Anna suddenly felt nervous when she saw the way his eyes lit up as he saw her, not because she had feelings for him, but because she knew she would be the one to extinguish their sparkle.

"You-you look beautiful," Briar stammered as his cheeks flushed red.

"Thank you," Anna replied, "You look handsome as well."

Briar was wearing a really nice black jacket and pant set, a white shirt, and a green and silver necktie. His hard had been slicked back.

"Thanks," Briar blushed, "um, ready then?" He offered her his arm.

Anna hesitated, but felt it would be impolite, and allowed him to escort her to the Great Hall, where the New Year Ball was being held. They walked the whole way in awkward silence.

When they arrived, they discovered that Ursa and Finley had somehow managed to arrive to the Great Hall before them.

"You two came together?" Anna asked. She knew they were all friends, but never thought Ursa and Finley liked each other in that way.

"Yup," Finley replied draping his arm around Ursa.

"Only because he couldn't get a date," Ursa shrugged his arm off of her.

"Neither could you," Finley retorted.

"For your information, I was asked," Ursa frowned. "I turned him down though," she winked at Anna.

Before Finley could make a comeback, Dumbledore commanded the student's attention and made some announcements. Anna didn't hear a word he said as she was too busy looking at Severus, who was standing among the other teachers behind Dumbledore. He didn't look at her once, which made her heart ache a little. It wasn't till the music started that she snapped out her trance.

"Would you like to dance?" Briar asked.

Anna looked around and noticed most of the other students, including Ursa and Finley, had already begun dancing. She nodded and together they waltzed along with the other students. Her heart was racing as they danced. The way he looked at her knotted her stomach. She had a feeling their friendship was about to come to an end.

"So Ursa and Finley," Anna tried to make small talk, hoping to make the situation a little less awkward.

"Those two flirted all the time," said Briar, "You don't really pay attention do you?"

"Really?" Anna blushed, feeling embarrassed because she knew he was probably right. She was often glued to her books or lately, preoccupied with Severus.

"Honestly Anna," Briar sighed. He sometimes wished she wasn't so clueless because then maybe, maybe she would see just how much he loved her.

"Sorry," Anna mumbled.

"No, I'm sorry," Briar apologized for being a bit brash with her. It was agonizing keeping his feelings to himself and it didn't help that she looked so regal and radiant tonight. He felt as if his heart was going to burst.

"No you're right, I don't pay attention…" Anna replied sensing his frustration.

They continued dancing and Briar's heart kept pounding harder and harder. Dancing with her, being so close, looking into her soft, kind eyes, he realized he couldn't keep his feeling a secret anymore, he couldn't just be her friend.

"Listen, Anna," Briar spoke as they came to a stop.

Anna froze. She knew this was coming. She had thought about this moment a lot over break, but even so, Briar still caught her off guard.

"There's something I've wanted to tell you for a while now," Briar continued. "The timing never seemed right, but I can't keep lying to myself or to you anymore," he paused for a breath. "I love you," he confessed.

It felt as if time stopped. Everyone around them continued to dance, but Briar and Anna stood, motionless. Briar's cheeks had turned slightly red, but Anna had turned pale.

Severus, who had avoided looking at Anna and Briar as seeing the two of them together made his jealousy worse, couldn't help but notice them when they had stopped dancing.

Anna took a deep breath. She had prepared for this moment in her mind over and over again, but still was still nervous when she finally spoke, "Briar, I… I'm sorry, but I… I only see you as a friend."

Her words cut like ice.

"Could you just try?" Briar pleaded. His voice was barely audible.

"No," Anna replied, "I can't return feelings I don't have." Her voice was harsher than she intended.

She sighed and spoke more softly, "You're my friend, my best friend, Briar. I don't want to lose you. I do love you, but not in the same way you love me. I'm sorry."

Silence.

"I don't think I can just be your friend," Briar mumbled. He loved her and she shattered his heart. It would take a while to put the pieces back together, and being friends with her, would make it nearly impossible to move on.

"I understand," Anna said as she held back the tears. She turned and walked away, maneuvering through the dancing couples and out the great hall. Being a prefect, no one questioned her as she left the castle and made her way to the Great Lake.

Severus had noticed Anna leave and followed after her at a safe distance so no one would suspect anything. He left the castle and walked down towards the lake. He had a hunch Anna would have gone to the willow tree, so he went to check there first. He slowly pulled the long branches aside and sure enough, Anna was there.

"I thought you might be here," he said as he sat down next to Anna. She wiped away her tears and rested her head on his shoulder. His presence was all she needed right now.

They sat in silence for a moment before Severus spoke again.

"I owe you an apology," he mumbled and Anna lifted her head up to look at him, "I was jealous and worried that…" He decided to skip over the part where he thought Anna might leave him. "I never even thought about how you would feel… I was selfish. I'm sorry," he apologized.

Anna placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned in, her lips hovered over his. "I forgive you," she whispered. At least she still had him, and just the mere thought of losing him, hurt ten times more than the small crack Briar had left in her heart, so she understood why Severus felt so jealous.

Severus wrapped his arms around her as their mouths merged together.

"I suppose we should go back inside…" Anna sighed as she reluctantly withdrew from in. She had a feeling it would be too suspicious if they were both missing for too long. She stood and left the protection of the willow tree. Severus followed her.

The full moon shone down on them as they stood outside the weeping willow, and if it weren't for her hair being black, she would have resembled a Veela. Severus's heart stopped.

"You look beautiful," He murmured as they faced each other.

"Thank you," Anna blushed and quickly looked down at the ground. He had looked at her with such intensity; it frightened her and excited her at the same time.

"I know it's not the same," Severus spoke nervously, "but would you like to dance?"

"Here?" asked Anna, "Aren't you worried…"

"Not tonight," Severus whispered as the moonlight danced across her face. "Besides, there are always memory charms," he added and offered her his hands.

Anna smiled and placed her hands in his.

"I might be a little rusty…." he warned her.

"I don't care," Anna whispered leaning into him. She closed her eyes as his lips met hers. They smiled at each other and even though there was no music, they slowly began to waltz beneath the moon. Anna felt as if time stood still as they danced. She had forgotten all about Briar as she allowed herself to get lost in Severus's loving gaze.

"We should go back inside," Severus spoke bringing Anna back to reality and their dance came to an end. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

"I'll manage," Anna answered honestly, "Can I still see you later?"

"Yes. Once the students are back in their common rooms, you can abandon your post, I won't tell," Severus smirked.

A smile tugged at the corner of Anna's lips and she tenderly kissed his cheek, "I love you." She cast an invisibility spell on herself as a precaution, and made her way back to the castle. Severus, feeling elated, followed behind her at a distance.

* * *

Anna removed the invisibility charm once she was safely inside the castle and no one was around to see her. She took a deep breath and entered the Great Hall once again, just as the last song was playing. She scanned the room, but Briar was no longer present. She guessed he must have gone back to the Slytherin common room. Ursa and Finley were also missing, so she didn't have to worry about talking to them as well.

When the song ended, students began to leave the Great Hall. Anna, along with other prefects, was responsible for seeing that all the students got back to their respective houses.

"You sure you got this?" Moira asked as they finished ushering the Slytherin students out of the Great Hall and were now following them to the common room.

"Yes," Anna said.

"Anna, I heard about what happened…" Moira spoke quietly so only Anna would here. She was a little worried Anna might not be up for patrol duties tonight.

Anna sighed. She hadn't expected the news to travel so fast.

"I'm fine," Anna assured Moira.

"If you want I could take over…."

"I'm fine," Anna interrupted. She hadn't meant to be so harsh, but If Moira took patrol duty, then she wouldn't be able to sneak off to see Severus. She softened her voice, "It'll only take a couple of hours. I'll be alright."

"If you say so," Moira replied still a little unconvinced, but if Anna insisted, she wasn't going to argue. They walked the rest of the way to their house in silence.

When they arrived, Moira and Anna, along with the other Slytherin Prefects, stood at the back to make sure all the students entered the common room. Soon it was just Moira and Anna standing outside the Slytherin entrance.

"Goodnight then," said Moira.

"Goodnight," Anna said and Moira entered the common room, leaving Anna alone to patrol the corridors. Her job was to make sure there were no students still wandering the halls, which almost never happened.

Anna paced the corridors for a little while, but she grew impatient and even though she hadn't walked all her assigned hallways, she scampered off to Professor Snape's office. Tonight was going to be the night. It was all she thought about for the two weeks she had missed him.

Her heart was pounding as she eagerly knocked on his door. The door opened and a smile spread across her face when she saw Severus.

"How are you?" he asked as Anna entered.

He closed the door and locked it with an extra strong spell.

"I'm fine," Anna sighed as the adrenaline rush she had felt dissipated. She had just said the same thing to Moira and Briar was the last thing she wanted to think about right now.

"Are you sure?" he asked once more as she didn't sound fine.

"Can we not talk about it right now?" Anna asked, leaning into him, trying to reignite the spark, the thrill she had felt while on her way to see him. She didn't want to think about Briar or anyone else right now, just him.

"Anna…" Severus spoke with worry.

"I just want to be with you right now," Anna whispered pressing her body closer to his, her lips just barely touching his.

Severus was still concerned about her, but found it hard to resist her sweet lips. He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes. She kissed him like she had when she left his office earlier that day. Severus could feel his body temperature rise, his heart raced and his muscles tensed.

"Not here," he uttered as he reluctantly withdrew his lips. He waved his wand to reveal the door to his private room. Anna, burning with desire, followed Severus into his room.

Once the door disappeared behind him, Anna fiercely kissed him. Severus could feel his heart pounding against his chest as they moved towards the bed. He sat down and their lips parted for a moment. Anna seductively let her hair down and straddled his lap. Severus had never been more aroused.

Anna's heart raced as she began to unbutton his black jacket.

"Are you sure?" Severus asked as he remembered their first attempt. As much as he wanted her, he didn't want to hurt her.

"Yes," Anna replied as she removed his jacket. Her body felt like it was on fire and she wanted him, more than anything or anyone.

* * *

Extended Explicit Version on AO3 as FFN does not allow MA content. You can find me under the same username: GoldenLikeDaylight


	10. The Proposal

**Chapter 10**

The next morning Severus had woken before Anna. He smiled. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep.

Her eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning," he greeted her.

"Morning," Anna returned his smile. She moved closer to him and their lips met for a kiss. What started as an affectionate peck soon turned into a fierce and passionate kiss.

"I love you," Severus breathed, "But you should probably leave before..."

As aroused as he was, he was also worried that if she was missing for too long, others would start to notice.

"Please let me stay," she pleaded, leaning into him.

Classes didn't start till tomorrow. She had the whole day off and she just wanted to be with him.

"You make it so hard to say no," he said before pressing his lips against hers once more.

"I love you," Anna said affectionately, leaning over him.

"I love you too," Severus smiled. He ran his fingers through her hair.

"Are you worried?" asked Anna.

"Yes," Severus answered, "I'm not ashamed of you. I just… if you weren't a student…"

"What if I don't come back next year," Anna spoke quietly.

"Anna…"

"I did most of my schooling from home before coming here and I am the top of the class. I know seventh-year level material. I could convince Dumbledore to let me take the N.E.W.T this year…"

"But then what?" asked Severus, "You would return to Winterfell and I would still be here?"

"I never said where I would go after I graduate," countered Anna.

"Where would you go then?" asked Severus.

"I could stay here…" Anna answered. She bit her lip as she anxiously waited to see if Severus understood what she was insinuating.

"Maybe not here," Severus replied and smiled, "teachers who marry can't live in the castle."

Anna blushed. Was that just a proposal? She could hear her own heart beating.

"I want to marry you, Anna," Severus said tenderly, confirming what she was thinking. His hand gently brushed her face and he lifted his head towards her.

"You are mine, and I am yours," Anna vowed before pressing her lips against his and wrapping her arms around him. She wanted him, all of him, every day, all the time, forever and ever. She couldn't imagine a life without him. Her body didn't want a life without him.

Severus pulled himself up and she straddled him. Their hot, sweaty bodies, once again joined together to become one. The rush, the adrenaline, the pure bliss they felt when it was over, was just as amazing, if not better than the first time.

Severus held Anna close to him as they lied on his bed.

"Let me talk to Dumbledore first," he suggested as his heart rate returned to normal.

"Are you sure?" Anna asked, looking into his eyes. She knew Dumbledore could get on Severus's nerves and thought it might be better if she talked to the headmaster.

"Yes, I want him to hear it from me," Severus replied running his fingers through her hair, "if that's alright with you."

"Yes," Anna smiled and then sighed, "I suppose you want me to leave now…"

"I don't ever want you to leave." His voice was firm and honest. It made Anna's heart race and her cheeks redden.

"I just…" he continued.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean… I understand," Anna interrupted him. "I just wish…" She sighed as she stood and began to get dressed in clothes she had summoned using her wand, "It would just be so much easier if we didn't have to keep it a secret."

"I know," Severus quietly agreed as he began to put clothes on as well.

Anna quickly braided her hair back and then very carefully laid her gown from last night on Severus's bed.

"It's a beautiful gown," he commented.

"Thank you," Anna blushed, "I made it with help from my aunt."

"No magic?" asked Severus.

"No magic," confirmed Anna as she raised her wand, ready to cast a shrinking charm.

"Impressive," mumbled Severus.

Anna felt her heart skip a beat. He had praised her for her magical abilities before, but to be praised for something as mundane as sewing, it strangely made her feel very proud and very happy. A smile spread across her face.

"Reducio," Anna waved her wand and her beautiful gown shrunk so that it was small enough to fit into one of the pockets of her robes.

"Are you going to be alright?" Severus asked as Anna carefully placed her dress in an inner pocket of her robe. "We didn't talk much about your… um… friend…"

It was then Anna realized she hadn't thought about Briar at all since last night. She had been so happy with Severus, she had completely forgotten about Briar. Was he really not her friend anymore? Anna slowly breathed in and then out to try and ease the panic attack she could feel coming on.

"I will have to be," she took another breath and then turned to look at Severus, "How do I look?"

Severus smiled, "Beautiful."

Anna frowned, "I should have expected as much…"

"You look fine," Severus reassured her and kissed her forehead.

"Can I see you later?" Anna asked.

"Let me talk to Dumbledore first," Severus replied, "and we'll go from there."

"Alright," Anna sighed.

"I love you," Severus said as he moved his face closer to Anna's.

"I love you too," Anna murmured before kissing him.

After their long kiss goodbye, Anna left Severus's room and office, and made her way to the Great Hall to grab some breakfast.

When she arrived at the Great Hall, her heart stopped. Briar was sitting with Ursa and Finley as usual. Anna would usually join them, but after last night, she wasn't sure she could or if she should, but if she didn't sit with them, where should she sit? She hadn't bothered to make any more friends.

Anna began to panic as she scanned the Slytherin table for any sign of someone who she may know. It was then she noticed Moira waving at her. Anna glanced over at Briar one more time, but he didn't even lift his head. She sighed and walked over to Moira.

"I figured, after last night, you might need a new seat," Moira spoke so only Anna could hear her.

"Thank you," Anna replied, her voice heavy with gratitude.

"I know you didn't return to the common room," Moira whispered, "I was worried about you so I stayed up. I was planning on telling Dumbledore this morning if you didn't show up for breakfast, but here you are, thank goodness. How are you?"

"I…"

"So Anna's sitting with us now?" A boy with messy black hair and bright green eyes asked as he sat across from Moira and Anna.

"If that's not okay, I can…" Anna said nervously. She knew Baxter as he was the Head Boy, but she hardly spoke to him and didn't want to intrude.

"It's fine," Moira assured Anna, "Be nice Baxter."

"I was just making an observation," Baxter said in a nonchalant way as he began to pile food onto his plate.

Anna, still a little anxious, grabbed a biscuit as a magic teapot filled her cup with tea.

"So you and Briar," Baxter said as he sliced a piece of bacon on his plate, "everyone thought for sure you two would end up together, what happened?"

"Baxter," Moira hissed at him.

Anna slowly chewed on her biscuit. She was beginning to lose her appetite.

"What?" Baxter replied, "You and everyone else want to know. An easy way to find out is to ask the source."

"Are you really that dense?" the curly-headed girl with glasses sitting across from Anna finally spoke. She had been absorbed in a book, but after hearing Baxter's inconsiderate comment, she decided to speak up.

"Thank you Neina," said Moira.

"Excuse me," Anna croaked as she stood. She was on the verge of tears and didn't want to melt down here, not in front of Briar. She quickly walked out of the Great Hall.

"Look what you did," Moira snapped at Baxter before running after Anna.

"Anna wait!" Moira shouted as she caught up to Anna outside the Great Hall, about to head down the staircase to the dungeons.

Anna stopped when she heard Moira's voice and allowed her to catch up.

"You-You were right," Anna sobbed, "I'm-I'm not alright…"

"Let's go somewhere more private," Moira suggested. Anna, teary-eyed, nodded and followed after her. Moira unlocked one of the classrooms. Classes didn't start till tomorrow, so they wouldn't have to worry about anyone disturbing them.

"I'm sorry about Baxter," Moira apologized as she and Anna sat down at one of the empty tables, "He can be… insensitive… to others, but he isn't a bad person… just a bit blunt."

"Briar said he didn't want to be my friend anymore," Anna mumbled.

"Maybe not now," Moira tried to comfort Anna, "but in time, when his wounds heal, he may come around. Unfortunately, the best cure for a broken heart is usually to fall in love with someone else, and then, given your history, that person may not want him to be friends with you…" Moira sighed, "I'm terrible at consoling."

"No," Anna wiped her tears, "No, you're right."

"If there's one thing I learned besides magic at this school, is that some friendships aren't meant to be," Moira continued, "Briar is just one friend. You can make more, if you want to… that is…"

"I don't think anyone wants to be friends with me…"

"If you'd pull your head out of a book and maybe didn't lock yourself in your room so much…" Moira suggested, "And I'm here aren't I?"

"I thought you didn't like me?"

"You're a terrible prefect," Moira laughed, "but that doesn't mean I don't like you." She paused, "You just never let anyone in…"

"I guess I had Briar, and I thought that he was all I needed. I never thought…" Anna took a deep breath, "I never thought I would need other friends..."

"Even Briar has many friends," Moira argued.

Anna sighed, "I guess I just didn't prioritize people over books."

"It's never too late to start," Moira smiled, "and there are plenty more boys who like you just as much as a Briar."

"I'll be sure to avoid them…" Anna muttered.

"You don't have to answer, but is there someone you like?" asked Moira.

Anna felt her heart stop. She didn't even tell Briar her secret, so telling Moira, who she was just starting to bond with, was out of the question. She sighed, "It's complicated."

"Aren't all relationships?" Moira mused.

"Are you…" Anna began, but felt she might be prying too much.

"Eris," Moira couldn't say his name without smiling.

"He's the Head Boy in Gryffindor isn't he?" asked Anna.

"Yes," replied Moira, "We aren't necessarily keeping it a secret, just not telling trying to make it a huge deal. It's been working so far, going on two years."

"Is it hard, being in competing houses?" asked Anna.

"Not for us, but for others," Moira sighed, "we've lost friends, but we still have each other. In the end, it's helped us both realize who our true friends are."

Anna now understood why Moira mentioned that not all friendships last. She had lost friends as well. Anna was beginning to realize she may have to accept that Briar might never be a part of her life again, and hopefully, over time, she would grow to be okay with that.

"Moira… Thank you," Anna smiled, her heart heavy with gratitude.

"If you ever need to talk, I'm here," Moira promised.

Anna nodded her head in response.

"I should get back and lecture Baxter about his poor behavior," Moira said as she rose to her feet, "Are you going to be okay?"

"I will be," Anna said as she stood.

"I'll see you later then," Moira replied as they left the classroom.

"Later," Anna responded as they parted ways. Moira headed back to the Great Hall and Anna made her way down to the dungeons. She decided she would use the time to freshen up and check on Shadow.

* * *

Severus sighed as he arrived at Dumbledore's office. He always dreaded talking to the headmaster, but he wanted to be the one to tell Dumbledore about his proposal. He felt it would mean more if Dumbledore heard it from him rather than Anna, so he pushed past his feelings and opened the door.

"Severus, and to what do I owe the pleasure?" Dumbledore asked as Severus walked up to his desk.

"It's about Anna," Severus suddenly felt very nervous. He looked at the door, which was now closed.

"It's just you and me," Dumbledore assured the young professor.

"I…" Severus sat down and looked down at his hands, "I asked Anna to marry me."

Had Severus looked up, he would have seen Dumbledore's eyes widen in surprise, but as he did not, he would never know that even he was able to shock the very old and wise wizard.

"What did she say?" Dumbledore asked casually.

Severus looked up, "She-she said yes." He had expected a little more from Dumbledore and was taken off guard by his nonchalant attitude.

"Well, then what's the problem?" Dumbledore asked. There was a twinkle in his eye.

Severus sighed, "You know very well what the problem is. She's still a student."

"Yes, well I wasn't expecting for you two to move so quickly," Dumbledore admitted.

"Would it be possible for Anna to take the N.E.W.T. this year?" asked Severus, "It was her suggestion…"

"It's true Miss Snow is at the top of her class. She has caught up well despite having such a late start, but even you, Severus, went on to complete your seventh year. You were just as skilled and talented as she was at her age," said Dumbledore as he stroked his long white beard.

"But this is different," Severus argued weakly.

"If Miss Snow doesn't do well on her N.E.W.T…"

"I can give her private lessons," Severus blurted without thinking.

Dumbledore peered at him over his half-moon spectacles, "Are you sure you would be okay with that? You may have done well keeping your relationship a secret, but students will find out Anna is taking private lessons. There will be talk."

"Its private lessons, other professors…"

"Yes, other professors have, but never you," Dumbledore put extra emphasis on the "you."

"It's worth the risk," Severus replied. He would rather deal with student gossip than have to go another year keeping his relationship with Anna a secret.

"Very well," Dumbledore yielded, "I will need to talk to Anna as well. Let her know I want to see both of you after dinner."

"Yes sir," Severus replied and rose to his feet.

"I truly am happy for you Severus," Dumbledore smiled at the professor.

Severus blushed, "Thank you."

As much as he hated Dumbledore's meddling, he had to admit, he was grateful. If it wasn't for the headmaster, he would never have found love.

Severus left the headmaster's office and made his way back down to the dungeons. Once in his office, he sat down as his desk and began to write a message to Anna. It was almost lunchtime, so he figured that would be his best chance to make sure the letter got to her.

Once finished with the letter, Severus hurried to the Great Hall for lunch. He had originally planned on giving the letter to Moira to hand over to Anna, but noticed that Anna and Moira were already having lunch together. He hadn't realized they had become so close, but was glad to see Anna was doing alright without Briar.

However, it meant he would probably have to deliver the letter himself. He sighed, but just as he was beginning to get the courage to walk over to the Slytherin table, he noticed Baxter entering the great hall.

"Mister Faerson," Severus addressed the head boy, "Could you please give this to Miss Snow."

"Sure professor," Baxter responded accepting the rolled-up letter from Snape, "What is it?"

"That doesn't concern you," Snape spoke coolly before leaving the boy and making his way to the head table.

Baxter shrugged and walked over to Anna and Moira.

"This is for you," Baxter said handing the letter to Anna, "It's from Professor Snape."

"Thank-Thank you," Anna stuttered as she took the letter and shoved it into her schoolbag to read later. She looked up at the head table to see Severus, who gave her a reassuring smile.

"Aren't you going to read it?" Baxter asked, causing Anna to turn her attention back to the group.

"Baxter," Moira hissed at him.

"What? I didn't mention…" Baxter stopped talking when he saw Moira's glare.

"How are you feeling?" Neina asked Anna.

"Better, thanks to Moira," Anna smiled.

Moira returned the smile and the four of them continued to eat their lunch.

* * *

After dinner, Anna made her way up to Dumbledore's office. Even though the message Severus had given here didn't sound concerning, she still felt nervous as she entered the headmaster's study.

"Good evening Miss Snow," Dumbledore greeted her when he saw her enter. Severus was already there as well. He looked nervous standing in front of Dumbledore's desk, but still managed to smile when he saw Anna.

"Evening," Anna said before glancing behind her to make sure the door had closed. She nervously walked up to Dumbledore's desk, and gave Severus a small smile before turning her attention to the headmaster.

"Severus has already told me the good news, congratulations," Dumbledore winked at Anna.

"Th-thank you," Anna blushed. She glanced at Severus to see that his face had reddened as well.

"He also mentioned that you were interested in graduating early, is that correct?" asked Dumbledore.

"Y-yes," Anna replied nervously, "If that's alright?"

"It's been done, but it's certainly uncommon," Dumbledore replied, "Severus has offered to give you private lessons. If you're okay…"

"Yes," Anna replied before Dumbledore could finish. She knew it would be challenging, but that made it even more exciting. Plus private lessons with Severus meant more time with him. There was no way she would ever say no to that

"Yes, well, then you have my permission," Dumbledore smiled, "Severus and I have agreed that starting tomorrow, on weekdays, you will meet after dinner for one hour to work on advanced magic in preparation for the N.E.W.T. Weekends will be up to both of you."

"Thank you, headmaster," Anna smiled, "for everything."

Once again, Anna was grateful for Dumbledore. He not only saved her life and gave her a home at Hogwarts, but was also the reason she met and fell in love with Severus. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to repay him for all he had done for her.

"I wish you both happiness," Dumbledore smiled at them and then turned his attention to Severus, "I will keep in touch to see how things are going."

"Very well," Severus replied, "Is that all?'

"For now," Dumbledore answered. Severus then made his way over to the door.

"Good luck Miss Snow," Dumbledore said to Anna.

"Thank you," Anna smiled at the headmaster and then walked over to Severus.

Severus opened the door for Anna and followed her out. Once the door to the headmaster's office closed, Anna hugged him.

"Sorry," Anna withdrew from him, "I should have asked first, I'm just so…"

"Excited," Severus finished for her.

Anna smiled.

"It's alright, there's no one here," Severus whispered, wrapping his arms around her. Anna held him tightly.

"Are you really okay with private lessons?" Anna asked, looking into his eyes.

"I'm worried, but I would rather do this than have to keep you a secret for another year," Severus said truthfully.

"I'll be discreet…"

"I'm not asking you too," Severus interrupted her, "its okay if others know you're seeing me for private lessons. It might look more suspicious if you keep it a secret."

"Are you sure?" asked Anna. Though his random outbursts have lately stopped after becoming involved with Anna, he was still seen as strict and the teacher students liked the least. It was out of character for him to help another student, even if that student was in Slytherin.

"Yes," Severus assured her, "I'd do anything for you." His hand tenderly stroked her cheek.

"Severus," Anna closed her eyes as she placed her hands on his shoulders. No matter how many times they kissed, it always made her heart race.

"I love you," she breathed as their lips parted.

"I love you too," Severus smiled, "I will see you tomorrow."

Anna nodded, "See you tomorrow."

Severus then made his way down the spiral staircase.

Anna waited at the top of the staircase for a minute to allow Severus some time to leave. Then she slowly began her descent. She took deep breaths along the way in hopes to calm her excitement. She didn't want other students to see her so elated as that would only raise questions that she wasn't quite ready to answer yet. Plus, it probably would look bad since only a day had passed since her falling out with Briar.

"_Briar_," just his name alone dampened Anna's mood. She sighed as she left the stone gargoyle and made her trek back to the Slytherin common room.


	11. A Friendship Ends

**Chapter 11**

Anna usually was excited for potions class, as it meant seeing Professor Snape, but not today. Briar was already seated when she walked into the classroom. She hadn't spoken to him since the dance, but though they may not be friends anymore, he was still her partner in potions.

Anna nervously took her seat beside him. "Hey," She greeted him with a half smile.

He didn't even bother to look at her. Anna sighed. This was going to be a long class.

Professor Snape entered the classroom and Anna's mood lifted a bit. Seeing him always made her heart flutter.

"Starting next week, you will no longer be working in pairs," Professor Snape announced. The class, which was usually silent, soon filled with disgruntled grumbles, except from Anna and Briar, who were both secretly thankful to soon be separated from each other.

"Silence," Professor Snape commanded, "Any more complaints, and we'll start individual work tomorrow instead." The classroom immediately fell silent and Snape began to write on the board the instructions for the potion they would be trying today.

"I'll get the ingredients," Anna said once Snape had finished lecturing.

No answer. Anna sighed. She might as well be doing the potion alone. She grabbed what they needed and walked back over to Briar. He had set up the cauldron while she was gone, so at least he had done something. She set the ingredients on the table.

"Listen, Briar," Anna said trying to get his attention, "I know we're not friends anymore, but you're still my partner… just for three more days… "

Briar ignored Anna and started to add the first ingredient.

"This isn't going to work very well if you aren't going to talk to me," Anna was starting to get frustrated. She was trying hard to be nice, trying so hard to make this work, but Briar would not cooperate.

He moved onto the next ingredient, but Anna noticed he had skipped a step.

"That's wrong!" She exclaimed grabbing his arm before he could add the ingredient.

"You always have to be right, don't you?" Briar snapped, yanking his arm away from her.

"I'm not always right," Anna huffed, "but I know how to read instructions." She couldn't believe his attitude, especially since she just prevented a potential disaster.

"You think you're better than me, admit it."

"Briar…" Anna spoke calmly. It was then she noticed other students were beginning to stare at them. "I never said that," she continued quietly.

"You don't have to say it, everyone knows it," Briar's voice got louder as he spoke, "It's why you don't have any friends, you think you're better than all of us!"

The classroom fell silent. Even Professor Snape, who had been busy observing other students, was stunned.

Tears welled up in Anna's eyes. She understood Briar was upset, and he had every right to that anger, but to lash out at her like he had was just spiteful.

"Well, if that's how you feel, then maybe… maybe it's a good thing we aren't friends anymore," she sobbed and ran out of the classroom.

Professor Snape had to fight every nerve in his body to restrain himself from intervening. He wanted to run after Anna and make sure he was okay, but that would be out of character for him and as a professor, he couldn't abandon his class, so he did the next best thing he could think of, and luckily, it was very characteristic of his reputation as a strict professor.

"It seems Mister Falcin doesn't think he needs a partner anymore," Snape remarked, "Instead of next week, starting tomorrow, you will all be on your own."

Briar could feel the other students' angry glares on him. He knew he had acted poorly to Anna, and their glares only made him feel worse.

"10 points from Slytherin," Snape said coldly to Briar, "for disrupting class."

Every student knew that Professor Snape hardly took points away from his own house, so when he did, you knew it was pretty bad.

"Now back to work," Snape commanded the rest of the class. He then marched out of the classroom and headed to his office.

There were only three places he could think of that Anna would have run to her room, the willow, or his office. Luckily, she had chosen his office.

Severus sighed in relief when he saw Anna hunched up on the sofa in his office.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he cautiously approached her.

"No," sobbed Anna.

"Is there anything…" Severus began, but Anna flew into his arms before he could finish speaking. He held her tightly as she cried.

"I have to get back to class," Severus spoke quietly as he withdrew from her. As much as he wanted to stay with her while she was upset, he had to teach. "I'll come back once class is over," he promised.

She could tell from the tormented expression on his face that he was worried that she might leave if he left her, but he had no choice but to return to the other students.

"I'll be here," Anna assured him as she wiped away her tears.

Severus kissed her tenderly on the cheek before leaving his office and returning to class. He hated leaving her, but he couldn't leave his class unattended.

Anna watched the flames dance in the fireplace as she waited for Severus to return. She couldn't stop thinking about Briar. As she searched her memories, she began to realize there were so many signs that she had missed, no, she had ignored. Briar never really saw her as a friend, but Anna was desperate for a friend, that she ignored all the signals. She pretended they were alright, pushed his feelings to the side, and in the end they both got hurt.

An hour passed.

Anna's heart missed a beat when she heard the door open, but she didn't turn away from the flames.

The door closed.

"He hates me," Anna mumbled as Severus sat down next to her.

"He's just upset," Severus tried to console her.

"He wanted to hurt me," Anna spoke quietly, "like I did him…"

"No, he has no excuse," Severus replied looking into Anna's glistening eyes, "if he truly loved you as he claimed, he wouldn't have said those things… no matter how much he is hurting." He lowered his voice before continuing, "I know I could never…"

Anna could feel her cheeks flush and her heart race as his face moved closer to hers. She placed her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him to her lips.

"You know it's not your fault right?" Severus asked as she curled up in his arms.

"Then why does it feel like it is," Anna whispered.

"If it makes you feel any better, I ended partner work starting tomorrow," Severus said.

Anna looked up at him, slightly surprised.

"And I took points away from Slytherin…" Severus added.

"Really?" asked Anna, even she knew he hardly took points away from Slytherin.

"Yes, he disrupted class," Severus replied, "I'm sure you'll hear all about it later, but most of the students aren't very happy with Briar right now."

"How is Briar?" Anna asked quietly. It was strange, but as much as Briar had hurt her, she still cared for him.

"I think he regrets how he acted…" Severus hated to admit it, but Briar did seem very sullen for the rest of the class.

"You think that would make me feel better," Anna mumbled as she rested her head against Severus's chest. Even if Briar regretted what he had said, he still said it, he still felt it.

"I'm sorry," Severus ran his fingers through her hair, "If it helps, what he said isn't true."

"I know," Anna muttered, but even so, it still felt nice to hear it from him, "thank you."

She snuggled up to him and Severus endearingly kissed her forehead. They cuddled until the lunch bell rang.

"If you want to…"

"It's alright," Anna sighed as she stood. As much as she would love to stay with Severus, she knew Moira would be concerned about her. Moira, along with the rest of the school, probably had already heard by now what happened between her and Briar in potions class.

"Are you sure?" asked a concerned Severus.

"Moira would worry if I don't show up for lunch," Anna explained, "Besides, I'll see you after dinner." She smiled, moving closer to Severus.

"Don't be late," He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her.

Anna gave him a long kiss goodbye before leaving his office. She took a deep breath and made her way to the Great Hall.

When she arrived, Moira, Neina, and Baxter were already in their usual spots eating lunch. Anna glanced further down the table to see if Briar had shown up. Finley and Ursa were present, but no Briar. Anna sighed and took a seat in her new spot next to Moira.

"How are you?" Moira asked Anna, causing Neina to look up from her book.

"I'm guessing you heard," Anna sighed as she reached for a roll.

"The whole school knows!" Baxter exclaimed before shoving food in his mouth.

Moira and Neina both glared at him.

"What, it's true," Baxter replied.

"Never mind him," Moira sighed, "Are you okay?"

"I've been better," Anna answered honestly before taking another bite of food.

"If it's any consolation," Neina spoke up, "most of us think Briar is a jerk."

"Most of Slytherin is pretty pissed too," Baxter chimed in, "Professor Snape never takes points from his own house."

"Almost never," Neina corrected him, "which means even Professor Snape thought Briar was out of line."

"Or just upset that he interrupted class," Baxter replied.

"I know you're all trying to make me feel better," Anna said as she stared her plate full of food, "but can we not talk about Briar…"

"You're the one that turned him down," Baxter regretted speaking as soon as he saw the nasty looks Neina and Moira gave him.

"I don't love him," Anna confirmed, "but that doesn't mean I don't care about him."

"Even after what he said to you?" Moira asked.

"I- I don't know," Anna sighed, "I know he's upset, but that's not an excuse, I just… I just want things to go back to the way they were…"

"It's tough losing a close friend," Neina sympathized.

"Although, he doesn't seem like he was truly ever a friend if he was able to spew such nasty things," Baxter spoke as he chewed his meal.

Moira, Neina, and Anna all looked at him in shock.

"What?" Baxter blinked confused as to why all three girls were giving him such funny looks. "Did I something wrong?"

"No, you said something right for once," Moira smiled. She then turned her attention to Anna, "you have us now though, at least until next year…"

"Dumbledore's letting me take the N.E.W.T early," Anna replied, figuring now was a better time than any to tell them the news.

"What?" Neina and Moira both exclaimed.

"I get you're smart, but skipping a whole year? Especially when you started so late too…" said Moira.

"Professor Snape agreed to do private lessons to help me pass the N.E.W.T," Anna added nervously. She knew Severus had said to not keep it a secret, but after the incident today, she worried that it might come across even more suspicious.

"I knew he always favored you," said Moira.

"What?" Anna asked in surprise and then felt anxious.

"He and Dumbledore both cover for you when you slack on prefect duties," Moira explained.

"That's because they feel bad for her…" Baxter stopped when he saw them all look at him. "Sorry," he quickly apologized.

It was then Anna realized she hadn't thought much about her past in a long time. It was originally the reason she kept to herself, besides her desire to study and learn. She was afraid others would ask too many questions; even Briar sometimes had tried to cross that line.

"It's alright," Anna said. She knew there was some truth to it. Dumbledore was very loose with the rules when it came to her because he knew her history. Severus, on the other hand, she was secretly seeing him, so of course, he would be lenient with her as well.

"Dumbledore told me himself he made me a prefect as I had a bad habit of leaving his office past curfew," Anna half smiled.

"I knew it," Baxter exclaimed silently.

"Is that where you go…" Moira began to ask.

"Yes," Anna answered before Moira could finish. It was a half-truth, as she did go to Dumbledore a lot in the beginning when she had panic attacks. Now though, she would run to Severus first.

"He's the one…"

"It's alright, I understand," Moira stopped Anna. She didn't want to pry into Anna's past. She knew enough to know it wasn't pleasant.

"Why do you want to graduate early?' asked Neina.

"Is it because of Briar?" Baxter asked, receiving angry looks from Moira and Neina.

"No," Anna said, but then realized she didn't have a really good lie. She couldn't tell them that it's because she's engaged to Professor Snape, something she still hadn't even told her family yet. She could lie and say it was a family matter, but she would hate for them to find out later that she had lied to him.

"Then why?" Baxter pressed, ignoring Moira and Neina's warning glares.

"It's personal…" Anna mumbled knowing it was a cop-out, but she couldn't think of anything else in her panic.

"It's alright," Moira spoke before Baxter could say another word. "We won't pry," Moira glowered at Baxter.

"Thank you," Anna said, feeling grateful. She was so grateful to have found some new friends. Even Baxter wasn't so bad. He just spoke without thinking.


	12. A Birthday to Remember

**Chapter 12**

It was Sunday evening. Anna had gone to Hogsmeade with her friends on Saturday and she also had plans with them earlier that day, so she had agreed to meet Severus for a private lesson Sunday night.

"What's that?" Severus asked as he let Anna into his office. She was carrying a small white box that was tied with a green ribbon.

Most of the school and staff by now knew he was helping Anna prepare for the N.E.W.T. Severus had been anxious at first, but it had actually made getting time with Anna a lot easier as everyone just assumed he was giving Anna private lessons. They didn't have to be so secretive about meeting in his office anymore.

"I know it's a day early," Anna explained as she handed him the box, "but Happy Birthday!"

She had spent the morning in the kitchen with Moira and Neina baking a cake. They did get some help from the house-elves too, as none of them had ever baked before. It was actually a lot of fun and she hoped they could do it again sometime.

Severus removed the green ribbon and opened the box to find a small round white cake with white frosting, on top in green icing was written "Happy Birthday."

"Did you…"

"I had some help from Moira and Neina," Anna answered before Severus could finish his question, "I never really had to learn to cook, let alone bake, so it was a first for me, but we tried the other one and it tasted good…"

"Other one?"

"We made two cakes," Anna explained, "Neina's idea so we could taste one to make sure it was alright before giving you this one. It was Moira's idea to let Baxter try it first though, just in case…" She giggled.

Severus just stared at the cake, and Anna suddenly felt nervous. Was he upset that she had told them about his birthday, that she had mentioned the cake was for him?

"And don't worry, they didn't suspect anything," Anna quickly added, "I explained it was more of a thank you for the private lessons…"

"It's alright," Severus replied.

"Do you not like it?" Anna asked quietly. She had expected him to be a little more excited.

"No… I mean…" Severus replied, "It's just… no one's given me a gift in years… well, besides Dumbledore…" He smiled at Anna, "Thank you."

Anna returned his smile and Severus placed the cake on the coffee table.

"Have you talked to Briar yet?" Severus asked as they sat down. He began to cut the cake.

"No," Anna replied.

Briar hadn't shown up for potions for the rest of the week. She had heard from other students that he had missed other classes as well. He hardly left his room and Anna was starting to worry about him. She had even gone as far as to write him a letter telling him that she wanted to talk to him and had entrusted Baxter to deliver it to him Friday evening, but she still hadn't heard back.

"Do you think he's okay?" asked Anna as Severus handed her a plate with a slice of his birthday cake.

"I don't know," Severus replied honestly, "But if he misses any more classes, I will have to get involved." As head of Slytherin, he was responsible for the students in his house and truancy could get Briar expelled.

"I'll try again tomorrow," Anna sighed. She was still mad at Briar for what he had said, but at the same time, she still couldn't help but worry about him.

"You're too kind, you know that?" said Severus before he tried some of the cake.

"Is it alright?" Anna asked nervously as he chewed.

"It's good," he said after he swallowed, causing Anna's face to light up. "Thank you," he smiled.

"You're welcome," Anna returned his smile. She poured them some tea and they continued to eat their cake. Once they had finished eating, they cuddled on the couch.

"I do have another gift for you," Anna said as she pressed her body against Severus. She tenderly swept his shoulder-length black hair back behind his ear with her fingers. "That is if you want it," she whispered. They hadn't been physical since he proposed, so she was looking forward to this moment all week.

He pressed his lips softly against hers but withdrew before he got too lost in her kiss.

"Are you sure?" Severus asked as he looked into her shining eyes.

"Yes," Anna smiled as she began to unbutton his robes. "Unless…" she pulled back from him; there was a playful look in her eyes; "you'd rather teach me a spell or potion instead?"

"I think you know the answer to that," Severus smirked as he finished removing his robes. A giggle escaped Anna's mouth as he wrapped his arms around her. It was one of his favorite sounds.

"I love you," Severus murmured before his lips found hers.

Anna removed her school robes and fumbled with the buttons on her shirt as they continued to devour each other with their mouths. Severus had unbuttoned his shirt as well.

* * *

The full explicit version can be found on Archive of Our Own, same username: GoldenLikeDaylight

* * *

"Happy Birthday," Anna whispered once they had recovered. She leaned back so she could see his face and look into his warm, gentle eyes. He only ever looked at her with those eyes and it melted her heart every time.

Severus smiled and kissed her softly on the lips.

After they had cleaned up and redressed, they cuddled on the couch in front of the fire.

"Thank you," Severus spoke tenderly as he ran his fingers through Anna's hair.

"I did what any lover would do," Anna smiled.

"Yes, well… thank you for being mine," Severus whispered.

Anna saw his eyes wander to the clock on the wall and she frowned, "You want me to leave…"

"No… I didn't…" Severus replied, "I was just…"

"It's okay," Anna replied, realizing she might have been a little harsh. She was about to stand, but to her surprise, Severus grabbed her hand.

"Stay," he whispered and Anna felt her heart melt.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Severus reached for her face. Her eyes were glistening. She looked so beautiful. If he had it his way, he would never let her leave, but given the circumstances, on any other day, he would fight his desires. Not tonight though.

"Yes," he smiled, "if anyone asks, just tell them lessons ran late because you have a very mean professor."

"I could never call you mean," Anna argued with a smile, "but I can say strict." She moved her face closer to his and closed her eyes as Severus pressed his lips onto hers.

"Speaking of lessons," said Severus after their kiss, "there's still time if you want to…"

"I suppose I should practice at least one spell tonight," Anna answered and hopped off the couch. Severus grinned and waved his wand to clear the room so they would have more space.

They practiced late into the night.

* * *

"I'll see you tonight," Anna said before kissing Severus goodbye. Monday morning had unfortunately arrived.

"Good luck," Severus whispered before Anna left his office.

Anna knew Severus was talking about Briar. She hoped Briar would show up at breakfast so she could talk to him and see if he was okay.

When she arrived at the Great Hall, she was the first one there.

"_So maybe too early_…" she thought as she nervously sat down at the Slytherin table. Anna did get up early compared to other students, but she had never been the first one to breakfast before. The Great Hall was a little daunting when you were the only one in it.

She sighed and decided now would be a good time to write a letter to her aunt and let her know all that had happened since she returned to Hogwarts. Anna was a little nervous when she mentioned that Severus had proposed and she planned to marry him. Her uncle and aunt had cautioned her against the relationship, but neither forbade it, so she had no idea how they would react to this new development.

"Anna," a familiar voice spoke, startling Anna. She quickly rolled up the parchment.

She turned to see Briar. His hair was a little messier than usual, and his once bright green eyes had lost their shine. He didn't look like his cheerful self, but he didn't look unwell either.

"Can we go somewhere else?" Briar asked as more students began to arrive to the Great Hall.

"S-sure," Anna stuttered, shoving her letter in her bag. She stood and followed him out of the Great Hall, and out of the castle.

He stopped walking once they had found a quiet spot on the school grounds to talk in private.

"I'm sorry," Briar apologized, his back to Anna, "I shouldn't have said…"

"Did you mean it?" asked Anna, "Do you really think I feel I am better than everyone else?"

"No," Briar replied, turning to face her, "I mean yes, sometimes, it feels that way…"

"Then I'm also sorry," Anna replied. She realized that he wasn't solely to blame for their friendship falling apart. "I never meant to make you feel as if you weren't good enough…"

"Then why…" Briar looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Why me?" Anna asked knowing Briar was going to ask the impossible to answer question: why didn't she love him?

"Why not Ursa? You've been friends with her longer than me… or why not Celeste? Everyone knows she's the prettiest girl in Slytherin, possibly the whole school…"

Briar looked away from her.

"It's not that I don't like you, Briar. I do care about you, but I don't…" Anna sighed in frustration, "I'm not an expert on love… but I feel when you love someone, all you want is to be with them… just thinking about them makes you smile..."

A smile tugged at Anna's lips. She couldn't help but think of Severus when she thought about love.

"They make your heart flutter, and when they look at you, it makes you feel all warm and tingly inside, and I just… I don't feel that way when I'm with you…" she continued.

Briar noted how Anna's face lit up when she talked about love. She loved someone else. It was obvious and just as he had suspected.

"There's someone else isn't there?"

The shine in Anna's eyes dulled and her face went pale.

"I won't pry," Briar added seeing her panicked look, "but I'm guessing he feels the same about you?"

"Yes," Anna answered quietly. There was no point in trying to lie now.

"At first I thought you were graduating early because of me, at least that's what everyone was saying, but now…"

"Briar," Anna cautioned him.

"It makes sense. You went home over break, you come back… and now you want to graduate early," Briar continued despite her warning, "he's not in this school is he?"

Anna glowered at him. He promised not to pry and yet he was trying to find out who she was seeing. He couldn't have been more wrong, but his made-up story protected her and Severus. She considered going with it, but she hated lying, and instead, decided she didn't owe him an answer.

"Whether or not there is another person," Anna spoke firmly, "I do not love you. I never loved you as more than a friend, and right now, I don't even know what we are."

Briar was quiet.

"Look," Anna sighed, "I only asked to see you because I was worried about you. Professor Snape also mentioned that if you don't start showing up, you may be expelled…"

Still no response.

Anna had said what she needed to. The rest was up to him. She turned to head back to the castle.

"Anna," Briar spoke before she could take a step.

She turned around to face him again.

"I'm sorry," Briar apologized, "I'm trying… it's just hard…"

"I know," Anna replied quietly, "I lost a friend too…" She understood he was hurting, but it was important he realized that he wasn't the only one who had gotten hurt.

"I'll see you in class then," Briar responded.

"Did you want to walk back together?" Anna offered. She knew things wouldn't ever be the same between them, but maybe they could start over, this time both knowing it was only as friends.

Briar hesitated at first but nodded. They walked back to the Great Hall together in silence.

Anna and Briar parted ways when they entered the Great Hall. Briar went to join Ursa and Finley. Anna went to sit with Moira, Neina, and Baxter.

"Are you and Briar okay now?" Moira asked as Anna sat down next to her. She had seen the two of them walk in together.

"Hard to say," Anna replied, "I don't think things will ever be the same, but at least he's talking to me now."

"Well that's a start," Moira smiled.

"Thanks for delivering the letter Baxter," said Anna.

Baxter's mouth was full of food, so he just gestured a "no problem," with a hand wave.

"How did Professor Snape like the cake?" Neina asked.

"He said it was good," Anna replied, "Thanks again for helping."

"It was fun!" Moira smiled, "I am a little surprised though…"

"What do you mean?" Anna asked nervously.

"He's always been a bit nicer to us because we're in his house, but to offer private lessons…"

"Anna's a prodigy, any professor would have been happy to do it; Snape got first dibs because she's Slytherin. He probably just wants the glory of helping a sixth year pass the N.E.W.T," said Baxter between bites of food.

Anna laughed nervously as she knew that was not the reason, but it did sound like the Professor Snape the rest of the school knew.

"When you put it that way, he just sounds shallow," Moira said.

"How are the lessons?" asked Neina.

"Is he nice?" added Moira.

"They're… alright…" Anna answered before quickly shoving some food in her mouth so they couldn't ask her any more questions.

"They must be tough. You didn't come back before curfew last night," Baxter commented. He had patrol duty last night and noted that Anna had not returned when he turned in for the night.

"I…" Anna could feel her heart pounding against her chest.

"Well she's trying to cram two years into one," Neina spoke for Anna, "Even I'm not that crazy! No offense…"

"It's alright," Anna sighed, thankful she didn't have to come up with a response, "it is kind of crazy…"

"Well if anyone can do it, you can," Moira smiled, "after all you started late and still caught up. It's quite impressive."

"Thanks," Anna said quietly, "I really hope so…"

Anna was beginning to have doubts now. She was so excited and determined to pass the test so she could be with Severus, she never thought about what would happen if she didn't do well on the N.E.W.T exam. Not only would it affect her future, but it might affect Severus, which was something she hadn't considered until now.

"I don't think the Headmaster or Professor Snape would have agreed to it if they didn't think you could do well," Neina assured Anna.

"Thank you," Anna smiled, feeling a little better. She was sure if Severus didn't think she could do it, he would have said something, but she was still worried.

She carried that worry with her when entered Snape's office that evening.

She was supposed to be practicing the Gemino Curse on a teacup, but couldn't get it to duplicate perfectly.

"Is something wrong?" Severus finally asked.

The only time he had ever seen her struggle with magic was when she messed up the Pepperup potion, and that was because she had been feeling anxious. He worried that something similar was happening right now.

Anna sighed, lowering her wand in defeat, "What if I do poorly?"

"You won't," Severus said with so much certainty that it scared Anna.

"How do you know?" Anna asked, "I can't even duplicate a teacup!"

"Come here," Severus whispered, opening his arms for her. He had a hunch something was wrong, but he was unsure as to why she was all of a sudden so worried about the N.E.W.T.

Anna eagerly entered into his embrace. His scent and feeling his fingers running through her hair always calmed her.

"You can't do it because you think you can't," Severus said and asked, "You were doing just fine until now, why are you so worried?"

"If I don't do well, it not only affects me but…"

"Me?" Severus finished for her, "I wouldn't have agreed if I thought you couldn't do it."

"You really think…"

"Yes," Severus responded before she could even ask. "Of course," his eyes locked onto hers, "you are a natural when it comes to magic. It's one of the reasons I love you."

Anna blushed.

"How about we try something a little more advanced?" Severus suggested, "Something that's not required on the test, to help ease your mind."

"What do you mean?" asked Anna.

"Do you want to try to cast a Patronus?"

"I thought you were trying to build my confidence," Anna frowned. She knew that casting a true Patronus was extremely difficult and that only advanced magic users could produce a corporeal Patronus.

"If you can't do it, it's not on the test, so nothing to worry about right?" Severus replied. He knew it was very advanced magic, but he felt Anna could do it, maybe not a solid one, but even getting a burst of silvery mist would do. He just wanted to help give her a confidence boost.

"I suppose…" Anna sighed. There was no harm in trying and she was getting annoyed with the teacup.

"Think of the happiest memory you have," Severus instructed, "Then wave your wand in a circular motion and say Expecto patronum!"

Anna took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She thought about her parents. Her father's strong but gentle arms that would carry her to bed. Her mother's melodic voice when she would tell her a story before tucking her in...

"Expecto patronum!" she exclaimed, but only a thin wisp of silver came out of the end of her wand.

"It's a good start," Severus observed. "You have to say it like you mean it," he suggested and lifted his wand, "like so, Expecto Patronum!"

Anna watched as a silver bat burst from the tip of Severus's wand. She thought it was oddly fitting as students often said he resembled a bat. It flittered around the room for a bit and then faded away.

"Also, the stronger the memory, the better," Severus added.

Anna sighed, closed her eyes, and searched for another happy memory, which wasn't hard as there weren't very many. This time she thought of Severus, of when he told he loved her, the night of the ball, the proposal…

Anna opened her eyes and tried again, "Expecto Patronum!" Instead of a silvery mist, something big and almost solid left her wand. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized what it was.

Even Severus was surprised. "A dragon…" he said in awe.

Unlike Severus's bat though, Anna's dragon wasn't fully formed and didn't fly around the room. It flickered and was gone.

"I always thought it would be a wolf…" Anna said as she stared at her wand, still in shock that she was able to produce something so magical and mysterious.

"A Patronus usually resembles one's personality, not lineage," Severus commented, "although, you do have Targaryen blood…"

"Are you contradicting yourself?" asked Anna.

"Not much is really known about the Patronus," Severus explained, "as they can also change... It is possible that maybe your ancestry could play a part…" He looked at her and smiled, "but I think it suits you."

"Really?" Anna raised an eyebrow.

"You're smart, determined, strong," Severus wrapped his arms around her, "beautiful, and I always feel like I'm on fire around you."

Anna's face flushed.

"And now that you know you can do a spell that complicated," Severus continued, "are you still worried?"

"I didn't do it very well…" Anna countered. "But… I do feel a bit better," she added when she saw his frown.

"It usually takes many tries before one can even get a corporeal form," said Severus, "you did it on your second try which is amazing. It'll get even better as you practice."

"Thanks," Anna smiled.

"May I ask, what is your happiest memory?" asked Severus.

"Do you really have to ask?"

"Then what did you try the first time?" he asked as he had assumed he would have been her first choice.

"My parents," Anna answered honestly. She had thought her family might be stronger but realized that thinking about them also saddened her. "What is your happiest memory?"

Severus was about to open his mouth to answer, but Anna added, "Before me," causing him to hesitate.

"Lily," he sighed. He didn't want to lie to her, but also didn't want to upset her. However, he knew lying would only anger her more.

"I thought so," Anna smiled when she saw the confused look on Severus's face. He had probably expected her to be jealous, and well, Anna had to admit she was. She would always be a little jealous of Lily, there was no denying that, but it wasn't worth dwelling on. Lily was gone, and Severus loved her now. That was all that mattered.

"There's still a little time left," said Anna, "could I give the doubling charm one more try?"

Severus smiled, "Sure." He was glad she appeared to be back to her old self again.

Anna walked over to the table with the teacup and took a deep breath before saying, "Gemino!" With one flick of her wand, she had no trouble making an exact duplicate of the teacup.

"It was all in your head," Severus commented as he inspected both of the teacups, "Well done."

"Thanks," Anna said as she grabbed her bag. She then moved closer to him, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes, tomorrow," Severus smiled affectionately moving some fallen strands of hair behind her ear, "I love you."

"I love you too," Anna whispered before touching her lips to his. She then left his office and made her way to the Slytherin common room to do homework and maybe some more studying.


	13. An Unexpected Blessing

The next few months flew by.

Briar started showing up for classes again and would even sometimes talk to Anna as they still sat next to each other in a few classes, including potions. Their interactions remained awkward, but Anna was glad that he was at least trying to be civil.

Anna also continued to see Severus, and not just for private lessons.

She had sent a letter to her aunt and uncle about her intent to marry Severus. They both had sent back letters with their blessings. Her aunt even said she would have a proper wedding gown made. Anna, however, could tell from their letters that they were both concerned about her. She was glad they weren't going to try and stop her, but she still felt anxious.

It didn't help that there were only a couple of months until the N.E.W.T., so that only increased Anna's anxiety. Severus seemed to have more confidence in her than she did at this point. The closer the test came, the more she worried about doing well.

Luckily, Anna's new group of friends, Moira, Neina, and Baxter, would all be taking the exam as well, so they had started studying together regularly on the weekends.

On this particular weekend though, Baxter had Quidditch practice and Neina had an Astronomy club meeting, so it was just Moira and Anna that would be meeting to study in the Slytherin common room. Anna had debated about canceling as she hadn't been feeling too well lately, which she had attributed to the anxiety of the N.E.W.T., but she didn't want to abandon Moira.

She left her room and to her surprise, Moira was waiting for her outside her door. They usually met in the common room.

"We need to talk," Moira whispered, "my room." She grabbed Anna's hand and pulled her down the hall, to the room at the very end.

Anna had never been in any of the other rooms, let alone the head girl's room, but it looked very similar to hers, if not slightly larger.

"Is something wrong?" Anna asked after Moira closed the door.

"You don't look so good," Moira said as she noticed the color drain from Anna's face.

Anna felt another wave of nausea hit her, "I think I'm going to be sick..."

"Bathroom's that way," Moira pointed to the opposite side of the room.

Anna didn't have time to thank Moira and hurriedly made her way to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Moira waited patiently for Anna to reemerge. Moira wasn't positive but had a hunch as to why Anna had been feeling off lately. It also wasn't like her to get involved in another's personal affairs, but she got the vibe that Anna didn't know herself, and this was something she felt Anna needed to know.

"How are you feeling?" Moira asked as Anna left the bathroom.

"A little better," Anna replied.

"Anna," Moira started to speak, but then hesitated.

"Is something wrong?" asked Anna, confused as to why Moira would have dragged her into her room.

Moira sighed. There was no good way to ask what she needed to ask Anna, but she attempted a more subtle approach, "When was the last time you bled?"

"What?" Anna asked, taken aback by such a personal question.

"I'm only asking because you're showing signs…." Moira replied and lowered her voice, "… of being with child…"

The color drained out of Anna's face.

"I'm not trying to pry… unless you want to talk about it," Moira said, "I'm not even positive, it's just a hunch based on how you have been acting… eating more than usual, frequent trips to the bathroom… I was just worried you didn't know… and from the looks of it… I was right…"

Anna barely registered Moira's words. She was trying to think of when she had her last bleeding and realized she hadn't the last two months. Was she really pregnant? She had thought all her ill feelings were from nerves. She never considered them to be pregnancy symptoms. Anna suddenly felt very light-headed.

"Anna," Moira said concerned when Anna hadn't spoken for a while.

"I-I…" Anna stuttered as the room began to spin.

"Let's sit down," Moira helped guide Anna to her bed.

"I just thought it was anxiety," Anna said once the room stopped spinning, "I never even thought..."

"We're all stressing out about the N.E.W.T.," Moira tried to comfort Anna, "It's easy to miss…"

"Does anyone else know?" Anna asked, realizing that if Moira noticed, maybe others did as well.

"No," Moira could tell Anna was panicking and tried to calm her, "No, I didn't mention it to anyone and I don't think anyone else will notice."

"How did you know?"

"You're not the first the girl…. And I was once…" Moira answered quietly.

"I'm sorry," Anna whispered.

"It's alright." Moira replied, "It was a year ago, we weren't ready, not to mention we are still students…. I made my decision then…"

They were silent for a moment before Moira asked, "What are you doing to do?"

"I-I don't know…" Anna replied.

"Are you going to tell the father?"

"The father…" Anna began to panic.

"You don't have to; it's probably still early enough. There are ways… you could..."

"No," Anna said before Moira could finish. She surprised herself when she realized she had already made a decision. Anna wanted the baby; if she really was with child, but would Severus? She had to tell him, but she had no idea how he would react.

"Maybe I should take you to the Hospital Wing…" Moira said as she noticed Anna looked ashen, "Madam Pomfrey could help and confirm..."

"No, I…" Anna stood, "I should go…"

"Anna," Moira spoke worried, "if you aren't feeling well…"

"I have to talk to him first," Anna replied.

Moira wanted to stop her, but understood, "Your secret is safe with me. If you ever want to talk, I'm here."

"Thank you," Anna replied before leaving Moira's room and hurriedly made her way to Snape's office. She was supposed to see him for lessons after dinner, but this couldn't wait.

Her heart was racing as she arrived outside Severus's office. She didn't even bother to knock on the door and just turned the knob. She might have been more surprised that it had turned so easily, that there wasn't a locking charm on the door, except when she entered his office, she found not only Severus but also Dumbledore.

She froze. How was she supposed to talk to Severus with Dumbledore present? What was Dumbledore doing in Severus's office? The room began to spin.

"Miss Snow," Dumbledore spoke in surprise and quickly became concerned when he saw she was trembling.

Severus ran over when he saw her sick complexion. Her legs buckled and he caught her before she hit the floor. Dumbledore walked over.

"Anna," he said, but no response. She was still breathing, just unconscious, "She fainted."

"Let's take her to Madam Pomfrey… just to be safe…" said Dumbledore. He noticed Severus still looked concerned, "It's probably nothing…"

"Nothing?" Severus rebuked. It was obvious something was wrong. Why else would she have come to his office at this time? Why did she look so ill? He cradled her in his arms and stood.

"Stay calm," Dumbledore rested a hand on Severus's shoulder, "Let's see what Poppy has to say before we jump to conclusions."

Dumbledore opened the door. Severus sighed and carried Anna out. They both quickly made their way to the Hospital Wing.

"Dumbledore, Snape," Madam Pomfrey spoke, startled by their sudden appearance as they had entered her office using the back entrance rather than using the main double doors.

"We didn't want to make a scene," Dumbledore explained and it was then Poppy noticed Severus was carrying a student.

"Come with me," Poppy commanded leading them out of her office. The hospital wing was empty, just how she liked it, so she chose a bed closest to her office.

"Lay her down here," she commanded Severus as she put up the white privacy screen.

"Will she be alright?" Severus asked.

"I will let you know after I have had time to examine her. Now leave me so I can tend to my patient," Poppy said shooing the two men away.

Severus was about to argue, but thought better of it and followed Dumbledore back to Poppy's office.

After just over an hour, Poppy reappeared.

"How is she?" Severus asked as soon as she entered the room.

"I have never seen you so concerned over a student before, professor," Poppy commented, taking note of his anxious expression, "but to answer your question, she's going to be fine."

Severus sighed in relief.

"But…" Poppy said and turned her attention to Dumbledore, "Could I talk to you alone Headmaster?"

"If it relates to Miss Snow, Severus can stay," Dumbledore answered as he saw Severus's panicked expression.

Dumbledore's answer and Snape's worried expression made Poppy even more suspicious, but it wouldn't be until she informed them of Anna's condition that her suspicions would be confirmed.

"Very well, if you insist," Poppy said, "Miss Snow is with child." She looked directly at Snape when she spoke the last sentence. He had turned white as a sheet.

"The fainting was probably just a result of her shock…" Poppy explained, "She'll be fine after she rests for a bit."

"Are you certain?" Severus asked quietly.

"Yes," Poppy answered with confidence, "but she's not very far along. You don't have to worry; she'll graduate before she's even showing…" Poppy looked at Severus and she had never seen his eyes open so wide before.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Poppy assured him, but his pale complexion didn't improve. She grabbed a chocolate bar off her desk.

"Here," Poppy handed Severus the chocolate. "Go on, eat it," she commanded. Chocolate was known to have its own healing prosperities and was one of the best remedies for shock.

Severus frowned but took a bite of the chocolate as she had commanded.

"The girl, I can understand, but you, Severus, a grown man…" Poppy rambled as she looked through her medicine cabinet, "she took the news much better..."

"You mentioned she wasn't very far along?" Dumbledore asked while Severus took another bite of chocolate. He was still soaking in the fact that he was going to be a father.

"Yes," Poppy said and sighed, understanding what Dumbledore was truly asking, "there is time to… terminate… but I already asked her if she had considered that option..."

"What did she say?" Severus asked weakly.

"No," Poppy answered.

"I see," Dumbledore said and turned to Severus, "Congratulations!" He smiled.

Severus remained silent, but at least the color was returning to his face.

"I honestly don't know why you are so shocked, Severus," Poppy said, "you do know how babies…."

"Yes, yes, I know…" Severus interrupted her. He wasn't naïve; it just wasn't something he had thought all that much about. "I… I need to talk to her…"

"She needs to rest," Poppy replied, "I don't want you to get her worked up…"

"I won't," Severus said and when she frowned, he added, "I promise."

Poppy sighed, "Very well… "

"Thank you," Severus said before he left her office and made his way to Anna's cot.

"Why do I get the feeling you have something to do with this?" Poppy asked Dumbledore once they were alone.

"Because I might have," Dumbledore winked at her, "Don't worry, I will keep an eye on them." He left the office but stayed on the other side of the privacy screen so Severus and Anna could have some time alone.

Poppy shook her head in disbelief. It wasn't uncommon for students to get pregnant, but this was the first time a professor was involved.

"Severus I…" Anna said as Severus arrived next to her bed.

"Anna…" Severus had spoken at the same time. "You first," he smiled and sat down in a chair next to her cot. He was glad to see that the color had returned to her face and she was no longer trembling.

"I wanted to tell you," Anna continued.

"It's okay," Severus replied, "How are you?"

"Fine," Anna smiled, "Madam Pomfrey said it was just shock. I didn't realize it until Moira…"

"Moira?"

"She doesn't know it's yours," Anna quickly added seeing his panicked expression, "she was just concerned and then, of course, I wanted to talk to you, but then I saw Dumbledore and…"

"Shhh…" Severus hushed her when he saw how worked up she was getting, "it's alright…" He had promised Poppy he wouldn't upset Anna.

"Are you mad?" Anna asked quietly, looking down at her stomach. She anxiously twirled her hair with her fingers.

Severus gently placed his hand on her free hand, which was resting on her stomach.

"I'm not mad," he answered honestly.

She looked at him. Her eyes were glistening.

"I'm just shocked and maybe a little scared," he whispered as his hand moved to her cheek to wipe away a tear, "Are you sure…"

"Yes," Anna whispered before he could finish the question. She knew she wanted the baby and she hoped he did too. It was their baby. "Is that okay?"

"I…" Severus began but then Poppy entered the privacy screen.

"Relax, it's just me," Poppy said as she saw their startled looks. She closed the curtain behind her. "Here," she handed a glass bottle to Anna, "this will help with any nausea you may have."

"Thank you," Anna said taking the bottle from Madam Pomfrey.

"How are you feeling?" Dumbledore asked as he joined them all.

"Fine," Anna smiled.

"Well you are free to go," Madam Pomfrey said, "everything looks normal, but if you have any questions, do no hot hesitate to come to me."

Anna nodded, "Thank you Madam Pomfrey."

"Now you need to eat," Poppy said, "Why don't you get dressed and go to dinner?"

"There's plenty of time for you two to talk after dinner," Dumbledore spoke before Anna or Severus could reply, "I believe you still have your lessons?"

"I don't think lessons are very wise…" Poppy argued, but saw the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes and realized Anna and Professor Snape would not be doing lessons. She shook her head and sighed, "Just take it easy, and make sure you eat well."

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," Anna replied as Poppy gave her back her school robes.

"I'll walk you out," Severus offered, surprising them all, but no one argued.

"Thank you," Anna said as she finished putting her robes back on over her uniform. She tucked the small bottle that Madam Pomfrey had given her in one of the pockets and allowed Severus to escort her out of the hospital wing.

"Are you sure this is wise Dumbledore?" Poppy asked as Severus and Anna left together. She could tell they had chemistry, but it was still quite an age difference.

"They're already engaged," Dumbledore replied.

"Of course they are," grumbled Poppy as she set to work on replacing the sheets on the cot Anna had used, "I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Good night Poppy."

"Good night, Dumbledore," Poppy replied before the headmaster disappeared behind the double doors of the Hospital Wing.

* * *

"I'll see you after dinner," Severus whispered once they had arrived outside of the Great Hall.

"Yes, professor," Anna replied awkwardly.

"Anna!" Moira called as she came running up towards her.

"M-Moira," Anna stuttered in surprise.

"Evening Professor," Moira said noticing Professor Snape.

"Miss Blackwood," Snape acknowledged her before he leaving them and entering the Great Hall.

"I was worried about you and you forgot your bag," Moira explained handing Anna her schoolbag.

"I'm fine now, and thank you," Anna said taking her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Do you know…" Moira lowered her voice.

"Yes," Anna whispered before she could finish the question, "I saw Madam Pomfrey."

"Are you…"

"Yes," Anna replied with a smile.

"And the father?" asked Moira.

"I'm not sure…" Anna answered. Severus never did answer her question thanks to Poppy and Dumbledore interrupting them. He said he wasn't mad, but he wasn't ecstatic either.

"Boys can be hard to figure out sometimes," Moira smiled, "let's go eat for now; you might want to bring a bit more food for 'Shadow'…" She winked.

Anna returned her smile and together they made their way to the Slytherin table where Neina and Baxter were already sitting.

"How did studying go?" asked Neina.

"Good," Moira lied before Anna had a chance to panic.

Anna was still a little nervous that anyone besides Severus and Dumbledore knew she was with child, but as Moira had figured it out herself, she had no choice but to trust her.

They made idle chit chat while eating dinner, but even so, Anna couldn't help but worry about Severus. It took more effort than usual to refrain from looking at him at the head table.

After what seemed like the longest dinner ever, Anna took Moira's advice and wrapped up some extra food for later, some would be for Shadow, of course, but the rest was for her.

"Lessons with Snape?" Baxter asked as Anna tucked the wrapped up food in her bag.

"Yes," she replied.

"Good luck," Baxter, Neina, and Moira said in unison.

"Thanks," Anna smiled at them before leaving the table. She had to force herself to walk at a normal pace as she left the Great Hall as she was very eager to see Severus. Once she made it to the staircase, she quickened her pace. Did he want the baby? More importantly, did he still want her?

"How are you feeling?" were the first words out of Severus's mouth when Anna entered his office.

"Fine, physically," Anna answered as he locked the door, "Severus…"

"Not here…" he said and waved his wand to reveal the door to his private quarters, "...just to be safe."

Anna nodded and entered his room. He followed after her, the door disappearing behind him after he entered.

"Do you want the baby?" Anna blurted out. She hadn't meant for the question to fall out of her mouth like that, but it was all she could think about for the last hour and she was desperate.

Severus knew the question was coming, as she had asked back in the Hospital Wing, but he hadn't had a chance to answer then. However, he hadn't expected her to ask so bluntly. He looked into her pleading eyes. He could tell she wanted this child, their child.

"It's not that I don't want children… I certainly didn't think it would happen this soon…" he lowered his voice as he sat down on the bed, "I'm sorry… I know I should be excited…"

"I'm scared too," Anna said as she sat down next to him, "but in my heart I know, I want… I want this baby, our baby." Tears flowed down her cheeks as she spoke.

"Anna," Severus tenderly wiped her tears with his hands. He could feel her trembling and he knew it wasn't being a mother that scared her, no, she would be a wonderful mother, it was him, she was afraid of him leaving her.

"I love you," he said looking into her tear-filled eyes, "I would never leave you or our child." He wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," he whispered holding her closer to him, "I never meant to… it's just… what if… what if I'm a terrible father?"

"Why would you…" Anna began to ask, but then remembered Severus had an abusive father as a child, "You are not your father." She reached for his face to get his attention. "Any child would be lucky to have you for a father," Anna said as her eyes locked on his.

"Anna," Severus mumbled before his lips met hers. He felt all his worries drift away as he lost himself in her sweetness.

"How do you feel about a July wedding?" he breathed as his lips left hers. "I know it's a little rushed, but I would like to be married before the baby is born," he explained.

"I'll send a letter to my aunt to see what she can do," Anna replied, "that is… is it okay if I tell them?"

"Yes," he smiled before kissing her again.

"Oh, why was Dumbledore in your office?" Anna asked as she remembered why she hadn't been able to talk to him originally.

"Dumbledore wanted to see how you were doing," Severus answered, "I told him you were doing very well and I think you are ready for the N.E.W.T." He smiled.

"Well at least one of us thinks so," Anna mumbled. She still felt nervous about the exam. For one, she still had no idea what she wanted to do after school. On top of that, she just found out she was going to be a mom.

"I'm sure you will pass each exam," Severus assured her.

"You have to say that," she sighed as she fell back on to his bed.

"I don't have to," he argued, "I wouldn't lie to you."

"You're still biased," Anna reminded him.

Severus leaned over her. Anna's face flushed as she looked into his eyes.

"Maybe just a little," he whispered, his lips lingering above hers.

Anna eagerly wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest as his mouth melted into hers.

"Madam Pomfrey said you had to rest," Severus breathed.

"I feel fine," Anna argued, causing Severus to frown. She sighed, "Can I at least stay?"

"Yes," he replied, "but sleeping only." He tenderly kissed her forehead. "There's still time, did you want to study a bit?"

"You just said…"

"Classic studying," Severus replied, "with books."

"I suppose," Anna sighed as she left his bed, suddenly it felt as if she wasn't allowed to do anything fun. Severus escorted her out of his room and back into his office. She sat down on the sofa while he brought over a stack of books.

"You're kidding right?" Anna said as she stared at the pile of books.

"We aren't going to read them all," Severus explained, "Just the important parts."

"That kind of sounds like cheating," Anna said as she picked up a book.

"You've never skimmed a book before have you?" asked Severus.

"Yes…" Anna answered and mumbled, "…but after I have read it through once…"

"You know you don't have to know everything," he replied taking the book from her and turning to a specific page he had in mind, "just the important parts; the items most likely to be on the exam."

"Everything is important to someone," Anna replied, "it's just a matter of who you ask." She, however, started reading the page he had opened to rather than going back to the beginning.

Severus's eyes softened. He wondered how someone who had endured what she had, had managed to still end up so kind.

Severus broke out of his trance when he noticed Anna pull out some food from her schoolbag.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Madam Pomfrey said it's normal as I'm now eating for two," Anna's face flushed from embarrassment.

"It's fine; just tell me," Severus said, "I can get some tea and crumpets if you'd rather?"

"Yes," Anna smiled, "thank you."

Severus returned her smile before leaving his office.

Anna continued to read the book he had given her but found reading about spells boring compared to actually practicing them. She placed her hand on her stomach.

She was going to be a mom.

This whole time she was worried about what she was going to do when graduated. King Bran mentioned the possibility of her ruling the six kingdoms, but that would be years from now. What was she to do until then?

Severus returned shortly with a tray holding a tea set and food.

Maybe Severus would have some input? But first food. She poured herself some tea and began to nibble on a crumpet.

"You mentioned Dumbledore offered you a job as a professor," Anna said as Severus sat down next to her.

"Yes," replied Severus, unsure where she was going with this.

"Did you always want to be a professor?" asked Anna before taking a sip of tea and grabbing another crumpet.

"No, I never even considered it until Dumbledore offered," Severus replied.

"What did you do before you became a professor?"

"I…" Severus hesitated, unsure how Anna would feel, but also knew that he couldn't keep any secrets from her, "I went searching for her…"

"Lily?"

"I didn't actually see her die," he replied, "I just assumed, it wasn't till after Hogwarts, I felt empowered enough to go searching…" he sighed, "but in the end, it was just wasted time…"

"I'm sorry," Anna said quietly as she set her teacup down onto the table.

"Don't be," Severus said, causing Anna's wide surprised eyes to meet his, "I have you."

"Severus…" she whispered

"I may have loved her, but I love you now… more than I ever loved her..." he whispered, his lips just inches away from hers.

"I love you so much," Anna breathed before pressing her lips against. Their kiss started out slow and gentle but soon ignited into fiery passion. Anna could feel her heart racing as her body burned with desire.

"As much as I want to…" Severus said forcing himself to withdraw from her, "we shouldn't…"

"I'm pregnant, not dying," Anna argued.

"You fainted earlier," Severus reminded her, "and Madam Pomfrey said to rest."

Anna sighed, "Do you really think I'm so fragile?"

"No," Severus replied wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him, "Quite the opposite, which is the problem…" He lovingly stroked her hair.

"I still don't know what I want to do…" Anna confided.

"Ah, so that's why you asked all those questions," Severus said, "There's no need to worry, I make enough to support you and the baby."

Anna frowned, "If I wanted to _just_ be someone's wife, I wouldn't have come to Hogwarts." She sat up, "I would like to have some purpose... I just don't know what…"

"I just meant there's time," Severus replied, feeling a little hurt by her reaction, "You don't have to decide right away what you want to do… but even if you did decide to _just_ be my wife that would be fine to…"

"Sorry," Anna apologized, "I shouldn't have said it like that." She hadn't meant to hurt him and she felt horrible, "There's nothing I want more than to be yours. It's just, where I'm from, women had no other purpose other than to marry and bear children… and I'd like… I'd like to think I can do more…"

"You are one of the brightest students in this school," Severus smiled, "I'm sure you will do amazing things." He gave her a peck on the cheek, "Now we should get ready for bed."

"Thanks," Anna said still unconvinced but followed him back to his room.

"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you," Severus replied as he closed the door behind them.

"I could say the same," Anna said and they both smiled.


End file.
